<p>Electric scooters are not getting into the long-distance inter-city commute mode anytime soon. Despite the entry of biggies promising range per change in excess of 150km, e-scooters will largely remain within a city.</p>.<p>This is the ecosystem that Okinawa Autotech, a big player in this space, wants to expand its footprint in.</p>.<p>Last year, Okinawa had a 36% share in the hi-speed (over 25kmph) e-scooter market, company founder and managing director Jeetender Sharma told <span class="italic">DH</span>.</p>.<p>Nationwide, 1.52 lakh electric two-wheelers were sold in 2019-20 before a 6% pandemic-triggered dip saw the number fall to 1.44 lakh, as data from the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) shows.</p>.<p>Besides legacy players such as Hero Electric, TVS Motors and Bajaj Auto, Okinawa’s competition in the fast-populating e-scooter market has heated up with the big-ticket entry of Ola Electric.</p>.<p>Bengaluru-based Ather Energy and Simple Energy and Ampere are also revving up to keep their market share intact.</p>.<p>“We are planning to sell about one lakh e-scooters this fiscal. Our new facility coming up in Rajasthan will have a production capacity of up to 5-6 lakh per annum in the first phase, reaching a million in the second phase. We want to operationalise this in the second quarter of 2021-22,” Sharma said. But he does not see the mushrooming players in the market as part of a competition.</p>.<p>“We don’t see it that way because the pie is so big. There is space for everybody. The time to grow is now. We foresee a lot of demand from this year.”</p>.<p>Beyond sales, the growth will be in the e-scooter’s performance, speed and range. “There is a lot of innovation in battery, power train, integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence.”</p>.<p>The claimed range/charge of Okinawa’s flagship model is 140km. The e-scooters have top speeds in the range of 45 to 65 kmph. “Buyers are mostly in the 20 to 45 years group, a mix of students and small-time businessmen.”</p>.<p>Unlike Ola, Ather and other brands, Okinawa has a different approach to charging. The thrust is not on charging stations.</p>.<p>“We have a detachable Li-ion battery that can be charged anywhere. Based on the geography, it is difficult to get charging stations. Eighty percent of the battery can be charged in 45 minutes and a 10-minute charge can give you 15-20 km,” he explained.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Electric scooters are not getting into the long-distance inter-city commute mode anytime soon. Despite the entry of biggies promising range per change in excess of 150km, e-scooters will largely remain within a city.</p>.<p>This is the ecosystem that Okinawa Autotech, a big player in this space, wants to expand its footprint in.</p>.<p>Last year, Okinawa had a 36% share in the hi-speed (over 25kmph) e-scooter market, company founder and managing director Jeetender Sharma told <span class="italic">DH</span>.</p>.<p>Nationwide, 1.52 lakh electric two-wheelers were sold in 2019-20 before a 6% pandemic-triggered dip saw the number fall to 1.44 lakh, as data from the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) shows.</p>.<p>Besides legacy players such as Hero Electric, TVS Motors and Bajaj Auto, Okinawa’s competition in the fast-populating e-scooter market has heated up with the big-ticket entry of Ola Electric.</p>.<p>Bengaluru-based Ather Energy and Simple Energy and Ampere are also revving up to keep their market share intact.</p>.<p>“We are planning to sell about one lakh e-scooters this fiscal. Our new facility coming up in Rajasthan will have a production capacity of up to 5-6 lakh per annum in the first phase, reaching a million in the second phase. We want to operationalise this in the second quarter of 2021-22,” Sharma said. But he does not see the mushrooming players in the market as part of a competition.</p>.<p>“We don’t see it that way because the pie is so big. There is space for everybody. The time to grow is now. We foresee a lot of demand from this year.”</p>.<p>Beyond sales, the growth will be in the e-scooter’s performance, speed and range. “There is a lot of innovation in battery, power train, integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence.”</p>.<p>The claimed range/charge of Okinawa’s flagship model is 140km. The e-scooters have top speeds in the range of 45 to 65 kmph. “Buyers are mostly in the 20 to 45 years group, a mix of students and small-time businessmen.”</p>.<p>Unlike Ola, Ather and other brands, Okinawa has a different approach to charging. The thrust is not on charging stations.</p>.<p>“We have a detachable Li-ion battery that can be charged anywhere. Based on the geography, it is difficult to get charging stations. Eighty percent of the battery can be charged in 45 minutes and a 10-minute charge can give you 15-20 km,” he explained.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>