US firm presents advanced e-scooter in Chennai

The development comes on the heels of TVS Motor Company and Bajaj launching their e-scooters in Bengaluru. DEP, however, is still in talks with manufacturers and state transport corporations across the country to introduce their e-scooter into the market.

On their e-scooter, Radha Krishnan, Founder and President of DEP, who has a strong Chennai connect, said the current prototype has four batteries and can run 150 km on full charge. Its contemporaries, including TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak Electric run 75 km and 80 km on full charge.

“The batteries are detachable, can be removed easily and recharged at home. This takes away the need for setting up electric charging points either at the home or in public spaces,” said Krishnan.

“Our team picked a conventional two-wheeler and retrofitted it with an electric powertrain. The exterior panels have been restyled for aerodynamism and low drag,” he added.

Krishnan said the prototype would be showcased at the Auto Show India next month. New features would be added to it in a few months, he said. “The entire outer panel will be coated with flexible solar panels which will give users an extra 25 per cent mileage which translates into an additional 25 km,” Krishnan said.

The top executive mentioned that the prototype would soon be fitted with a gyroscope to enable self-balancing. “Riders won’t have to put their feet down at a stop light. The scooter will steady itself like a Segway,” he said.

“Our idea is to showcase a tech-demo so other electric vehicles (EV) makers can build off this. We can build these for auto companies as well,” added Krishnan.

The firm with units in Germany, Spain, Italy, France, China, Korea, Japan, has invested over $1 million (about Rs 7.1 crore) on its EV technology.