Lohia Auto showcases solar e-rickshaw Humrahi and electric three-wheeler Narain at EV Expo 2016

Team OD Updated: December 27, 2016, 04:59 PM IST

Lohia Auto has showcased its latest eco-friendly offerings at the EV Expo 2016, held at Pragati Maidan. The first one is the Humrahi that is a solar-powered rickshaw and the other is a hydraulic tipper e-rickshaw, Narain. In addition, Lohia Auto has also unveiled India's first electric three-wheeler rickshaw that has been designed and developed at the company's in-house facility.

Lohia Humsafar Lohia Auto Humsafar

The company states that the updated versions of the Humrahi and Narain have been improved over their previous iterations and are more efficient, reliable and safe. Lohia Auto claims that while a regular e-rickshaw has to charge its battery from a conventional source, the new Humrahi comes with a solar panel which offers convenient charging on the go.

Further, the company mentions that the solar panel increases the mileage of the e-rickshaw by 10-15 per cent with a life cycle of 10 years. These solar panels can also be retrofitted on the existing electric rickshaws at a dealership level. The Humrahi is priced at Rs 1 lakh (on-road, Delhi) while the price of retro-fitment of the solar panel along with its installation is Rs 35,000. In addition to the electric range, Lohia Auto offers diesel-powered Humsafar rickshaws.

The Narain electric dumper comes with a payload capacity of 350kg. It comes equipped with hydraulic mechanism for unloading materials. The Narain can be used for multiple commercial applications which include that of a delivery van and garbage collection.

Lohia Auto Humrahi

Solar panel fitted on the Lohia Humrahi

Adding to the electric portfolio is the new Lohia Oma Star Li, the company's first lithium-ion battery-powered electric two-wheeler. The Oma Star Li is the third electric scooter after the Oma Star and Genius. The key difference being the charging time. The company claims that the Oma Star Li takes three hours to charge the battery completely which, in case of the other scooters, ranges from six to seven hours. In one full charge, it can deliver a claimed range of 60km.

During the showcase of the new range, Ayush Lohia, CEO, Lohia Auto Industries, commented, "Given the urgent need to combat rising pollution levels in India's big cities, we have also showcased India's first electric three-wheeler auto. So far, three wheelers either run on diesel or compressed natural gas. The shift to e-three-wheelers will go a long way in curbing emission of harmful gases. The three-wheeler comes equipped with 5.7KW motor and has the capacity to seat three passengers."

Lohia Auto has a manufacturing unit in Kashipur, Uttrakhand, with capacity to produce 1,00,000 units/year of two-wheeler and three-wheelers. The company has 150 dealerships spread across India, and both the new offerings will be available from all the dealerships.