Sahara Group has recently announced its plan to foray into the electric vehicle business under a new brand name ‘Sahara Evols’. This is the first time the the company is entering the automobile sector, and under the new Sahara Evols brand, the company will offer a range of electric vehicles (EVs) along with advanced allied services. Sahara Evols electric vehicle portfolio will include everything from electric scooters and motorcycles to electric three-wheelers and cargo vehicles. It is introducing a network of battery charging-cum-swapping stations.
Sahara India Pariwar Chairman Subrata Roy said, “We are proud to introduce for the first time, a complete ecosystem of electric vehicles in India. Sustainable and environment-friendly modes of transportation are the need of the time. The Sahara Evols range of electric vehicles is going to be our contribution…towards alternative, sustainable and eco-friendly modes of transportation.”
The company has already gone live with its official website, which currently lists two electric scooters – Classic and JMT 1000, and an electric three-wheeler named Veera. The website also confirms the imminent arrival of two new electric motorcycles – Whiz ES, and Whiz SE, however, currently no other details are available about them. As for the Scooters, both Sahara Evols Classic and JMT 1000, offer a maximum range of 75 km on a full charge, and a top-speed of 55 kmph. The e-rickshaw Veera on the other hand offers a range of 145 km and it comes with a Driver+4 passenger setup.
The vehicles are powered by dry lithium-ion batteries. The cost of driving Sahara Evols Electric Vehicles in an average can go as low as 20 paise per kilometer against the cost of ₹ 2 per kilometer on petrol vehicles, thus entailing direct and substantial economic benefits to the users.
Starting with Lucknow, Sahara Evols will establish its ecosystem in the country’s tier-II and III cities by the end of this financial year, in a phased manner. Subsequently, in the next financial year, it will roll out its products and services pan-India.