Piaggio Vehicles opens new electric three-wheeler showroom in Bangalore

Piaggio Vehicles is literally going places with its electric vehicle operations and network. Barely six days after it opened 12 new electric three-wheeler showrooms in the state of Bihar, the company today inaugurated its EV experience centre – Mobility Motors – in Bangalore. The dealership was inaugurated by B Sriramlu, Minister of Transport Department and Tribal Welfare, Karnataka.

The experience centre or retail outlet offers customers a platform to access Piaggio’s newly launched FX range (fixed battery) of EVs in both cargo and passenger versions.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said: “With the Centre’s PLI scheme to boost the EV segment, Karnataka is also fully committed to switch towards green mobility and we thank Piaggio for taking a step ahead in fulfilling this mission. The Karnataka government has also planned to come up with a high-tech ‘Karnataka Electric Mobility Research and Innovation Centre’ for supporting e-mobility in the state. The EV support infrastructure has been growing and we have targeted to set up 500 charging stations in Karnataka. The state has registered 25,725 EV beneficiaries under government’s FAME II scheme, making it one of the leading states in India to avail the same. I am sure the initiatives taken by the state and central government will empower EV producers towards making green mobility a reality.”

Saju Nair, EVP and Head of Commercial Vehicle Business, Piaggio India, commented, “Karnataka has been very welcoming for EVs by offering beneficial schemes like 15% capital subsidy for investors, full exemption on road tax and registration fees of EVs and many more. The growing demand of intra-city movement in a metro city like Bangalore can be best fulfilled through sustainable mode of transport like electric three-wheelers. At Piaggio, our core philosophy is to provide path-breaking solutions in the last-mile transportation segment, and we are committed to provide best-in-class offerings to our customers. Our new range of electric vehicles will help in increasing the earn-ability due to its low cost of operation and superior range. We are looking forward to expanding our EV footprint across markets.”

The new Ape E-Xtra FX electric cargo three-wheeler has an output of 9.5 Kw and comes with a proven full metal body architecture fitted with a six-foot cargo deck. It is also customisable for applications including delivery van and garbage collection. 

Piaggio says its passenger vehicle variant – Ape E-City FX – is high on profitability, through enabling higher number of trips.

Given the soaring prices of petrol and diesel, there continues to be a marked shift of three-wheelers to electrified models. Apex automobile dealer body FADA finds that the “three-wheeler segment is now showing clear signs of tactical shift from ICE to EVs as the ratio has hit a 60:40 split. With offices and educational institutions slowly opening up, electrification of three-wheelers will gather a greater momentum in months to come.”