In a significant step towards embracing the evolving future, commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland Ltd. (ALL) has roped in Sun Mobility, a globally recognisable name in the area of electric mobility and clean energy, to provide world standard mobility solutions.
Sun Mobility is promoted by Chetan Maini, founder of Reva, the country’s first electric car maker.
The alliance could not have been formed at any better time. It comes in the wake of an ambitious announcement made by the Centre to shift all the cars sold in India to electric vehicles by 2030.
It is an exclusive partnership between the two for all kinds of electric vehicles.
“We are proud of this partnership and hope to bring several new innovative products to the market at the earliest,’’ said Vinod K. Dasari, CEO and managing director, Ashok Leyland, while addressing the media on Tuesday.
Mr. Maini expressed optimism that the “partnership will help the nation move masses via an efficient, pollution-free and cost-competitive solution for electric mobility.’’
Fielding a range of questions, both insisted that the common goal of the alliance was to bring about operational efficiency in running a vehicle. “The focus will be on how to make the operating environment much better, and keep the operating cost less than that of diesel,’’ said Mr. Dasari.
Smart batteries
Sun, Mr. Maini said, had developed an open-architecture ecosystem around its proprietary smart batteries and network of quick inter-change battery stations which were powered by renewable energy. These smart batteries were modular, easily swappable, secure and can be easily refuelled on a pay-as-you-go basis, it was claimed.
Mr. Dasari expected the first prototype to be ready by January. The maiden product from the alliance could be out in 12-18 months, he added. Asides the money Sun had already spent on various fronts, the alliance could see an investment of more than ₹100 crore, he said. He said a separate team comprising alliance members had been formed within the e-vehicle group in Ashok Leyland to work on joint product development.
