 "Hyundai")
Hyundai Motor Group has developed a new prototype electric scooter, which might make inroads in the Indian market.
The group, which mostly has interests in passenger and commercial vehicles, doesn't have two-wheelers in its global portfolio.
Though there is no official communication on this, company sources say that India is an important market and this vehicle will suit Indian roads. The e-scooter will be geared for last-mile connectivity.
The latest concept features in future Hyundai Motor Group plans to enable first- and last-mile mobility through integrating the scooter with future Hyundai and Kia vehicles, said the company. The initial concept was presented at CES 2017.
The scooter is charged automatically using electricity produced while driving.
DongJin Hyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Team, said: "This is the vehicle-mounted personal scooter which could be featured in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. Our personal electric scooter makes first and last-mile commuting a joy, while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centres."
The latest version of Hyundai Motor Group's electric scooter features a 10.5 Ah lithium battery. This enables the scooter to achieve a top speed of 20km per hour and is sufficient to power the scooter for around 20km on a single charge.
Looking at further potential development, the group plans to install a regenerative braking system to increase the scooter's range by seven per cent.
The development comes at a time when the Indian government has been aggressively pushing for a switch to electric vehicles to curb rampant pollution in cities and also reduce the country's fuel import bill. India, which is currently the world's third-largest oil importer, wants to become a global manufacturing hub for electric vehicles.
Government think tank NITI Aayog had earlier proposed to ban the production of conventional two-wheelers under 150cc by 2025 and three-wheelers by 2023.
While this has created a lot of confusion and debate, Union minister Nitin Gadkari later said that the government has no specific deadline in mind for automakers to switch to electric mobility or ban production of petrol and diesel vehicles.
