To say that India needs more electric vehicles is a massive understatement. The market for the consumer-focused electric vehicle has just started hotting up with the launch of a handful of premium electric cars and some battery-operated bikes.
While the government has been trying various ways to increase the adoption by offering subsidies to the makers and buyers alike, it is the news around Tesla’s India plans that has given it the necessary attention.
However, apart from Tesla, there is another US-based electric car maker that has been slowly setting its roots in the country. According to the reports, Triton has been actively recruiting people across various experience levels in the Automotive industry for some time and plans to hire over 10,000 people in India.
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That is not all, the company had recently inked a deal with the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to make batteries for electric vehicles in India. According to the agreement, Triton will share the knowledge and technical expertise while BEL will be the exclusive battery maker for Triton.
This agreement also means that the company will be able to participate in the Make in India program run by the central government to promote manufacturing in the country. In a similar context, even Tesla has been in talks with the government to set up one of its Giga factories in the countries.
Triton N4 launch in India
Triton plans to launch the N4 sedan as one of its first vehicles in the county and plans to invest around $650 million to $1 billion in setting up a manufacturing facility in India. It was reported that the company has been in touch with a few state governments to set up a manufacturing plant in the country.
While the company is hiring manpower and is working on getting the batteries made locally, it is also customizing its cars to make them more India friendly.
It was reported that looking at the Indian driving conditions, the N4 in India could come with a solar panel installed on the roof. This is aimed at harnessing solar power to generate power when the vehicle is stuck in a traffic jam or a traffic light.
This will also help in reducing the air conditioning from a 3 KW draw to a 1.3 KW draw and “offsets the losses of mileage or kilometres in India. By just doing this, we are saving about close to 30% of the battery for being used during traffic times,” Triton’s co-founder and CEO, Himanshu Patel, mentioned in a recent interview.
Aside, implementing ways to regenerate energy will not only help curb the range anxiety and could marginally address the lack of charging infrastructure will sure help Triton or any other company edge out its competitors.
Triton N4 price in India
While India’s quest for a practical yet affordable electric car, the Triton N4 will be a premium-priced vehicle. If things go as plans, the N4 could launch in India around the end of the year and is expected to be priced around Rs. 35 lakhs.
This definitely is not the mass market that can help achieve India’s EV dreams, however, it is expected to significantly undercut Tesla’s pricing of Model 3 in India which is said to hover around Rs. 50 lakhs.
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