Unorganized players give e-bike a bad name

For a growing section of riders, e-bikes are a cool way out of increasing fuel costs.

Naveen Munjal’s firm Hero Electric leads India’s e-bikes market. The bungee-jumping entrepreneur, who heads the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, told Vivek Chattopadhyaya e-bikes could be slicker. Excerpts

On the market potential of e-bikes

At a time of fast depleting fossil fuel deposits, e-bike is the future of transport. It is particularly important for India as the country’s fuel import bill is increasing every year.

The e-bike market can be divided into two categories: high-power bikes and low-power bikes. Low-power bikes have a maximum speed of 25 km per hour and hence do not require registration or a driving licence. At present, these bikes constitute about 75 per cent of the electric two-wheeler industry in India.

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