Mangaluru: At a time when fuel prices, Copernicus, an Indian motor vehicle brand that is into designing and manufacturing electric vehicles on Wednesday launched its first premium segment e-bike.
Copernicus T3, powered by a 14 Ah Lithium Ion Battery Pack and a 250W motor, can take the rider up to 60 km on a full charge solely on battery power and if the rider’s physical power is added, one can ride up to 100 km, said Copernicus founder Kevin X. Vas here.
Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer handed over the key of the first e-bike to Ajith Kamath, vice president of Kanara Small Industries Association, during the launch. Copernicus also showcased two more models of e-bikes, including a foldable bike purely for city commuting.
Having ₹1.28 lakh price tag, Copernicus T3 is competitively priced 50% lesser to imported bikes with similar specifications, Mr. Vas said. With maximum speed of 25 kmph, T3 comes with Shimano Zee gears with 10 speed cassette and a clutch system for smooth riding. E-bikes have sensors that assist the rider by supplying the required power from the motors as per the settings. If one intends to ride without pedalling, the thumb-throttle can be used.
The removable battery can be charged anywhere and it is designed for 800 charges, roughly about five years. Even after that the battery can be used with 60-80% of capacity. Mr. Vas said the push towards greener environment and the smart city project would boost use of e-bikes.
Copernicus products would be available in Mangaluru (Jyoti Cycles, Kadri), Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Kochi and Ahmedabad in the first phase. It has also signed up for online sale with Amazon and ChoosemyBicycle.com.
Mr. Vas said the product design and development team from Mangaluru relentlessly worked for over three years before launching the bike.