Mission

EKOVEHICLES proudly offers Cosmic electric two wheelers on a commercial scale initiating the first step and solution for eliminating air and noise pollution.

The Company's mission is to promote Environment Consciousness and create a Pollution free atmosphere.

In the midst of attempting to Live Life in peace and harmony and in tune with nature, we as a human society are facing the wrath of nature by our ingenious creations of automotive transportation systems.

We are hypnotized to using for our work and play transportation Systems or "Vahanas" engineered by the Automobile Industry which are few spewing out various forms of Internal Combustion Engines in aesthetic designs successfully enveloping our atmosphere along with themselves, their and our future generations of mankind into a "Perpetual Gas Chamber".

Our Society today are engulfed to the limits of saturation with the "mask" of POLLUTION.

It is time to reckon with Noise and Air pollution immediately and effectively and build a "kavach" of some form and limit Ill Health of the Society in Body, Spirit and Mind.

Transportation that we have created for ourselves powered by means of fossil fuels around the world cannot be changed overnight however the levels of Intoxication with Air and Noise Pollution can be contained by the introduction and use of Electric and Hybrid Powered Vehicles for Short distance Transportation in our Cities, Towns and Villages.

We have but one option and no choice in the matter of delinking our modes of transportation that generate contamination at every level from production to application.

Vision

After 30 years of experimentation, examination, research and experience in the field of developing alternate sources of transportation worldwide I would like to simply state as follows :

		The Urban and Semi - Urban Traffic Density with the noisy gas guzzling beautifully designed aesthetic two, three and four wheelers has practically destroyed any values of human life, road sense or consideration for others.
		We drive intoxicated on the road with only one commitment and personal desire "let me get to my destination I shall trample whomsoever that does dare to come in my way".
		The density of traffic and with the limited speeds, roads seem to get smaller even as they are physically enlarged along with the steady disappearance of pedestrian ways ( foot paths ).

Electric Vehicles have today reached levels of technological excellence and sophistication making them commercially viable.

With the present demand of transport needs of the common man to get to work and back home and "eke his living" Electric and Hybrid vehicles along with further improvement in Public Transport systems must be implemented aggressively along with Rapid Charging Stations being setup at proximate locations to the convenience of the Electric Vehicle user.

EKOVEHICLES is proud to present the first of a series of Electric Vehicles along with Rapid Charging Stations that the company will setup beginning in Bangalore as the pilot City in India.

Eko - Cosmic vehicles have rear wheel hub motor which powers the vehicle. This eliminates transmission losses providing efficiency and energy savings. Absence of clutch, chain, gears and other conventional mechanical parts leads to greatly reduced maintenance. The gel - batteries are sealed and require zero maintenance.

Speed of 40 km / hr and a range of 50 km / charge are the performance features.

Goal

EKOVEHICLES plans to market 15,000 to 20,000 electric two wheelers in Bangalore in 2005.

Eko - Cosmic will be offered at a affordable price of Rs. 25,000 plus taxes, insurance etc. Considering that this includes the battery pack and charger, Eko - Cosmic is affordable by the common man.

The "Rapid" Charger will recharge the two-wheeler battery pack within 10 to 15 minutes and installed at all Dealer Outlets and Authorized Booking Outlets.

The running cost for the Eko - Cosmic Battery Operated 2-wheeler is under 35 paise per km, as against over a rupee for petrol driven 2 - wheelers. This includes battery recharging, maintenance and battery replacement cost once in 15,000 Kms. Also, electric vehicles have fewer moving parts, which reduces, maintenance costs.

EKOVEHICLES takes this opportunity to thank the Government of Karanataka and the Transport Department of the Karanataka, which has readily provided support for this project promoted by Karanataka entrepreneurs. The vehicle is registered in the State as a battery operated two with exemption of road tax for five years.

EKOVEHICLES request the Government of Karanataka to consider exempting electric two wheelers from Sales Tax.

Friends it is Inevitable but to usher in the next generation of transportation "Vahanas" Electric and Hybrid Vehicles for personal and Public Transportation in India in Particular and the World in General.

Advertorial

“Speaking on Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) initiatives I am not here to make just profits. I thought I should add value to India and the people around us”, is what Mr. Anil believes.

Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity. Mr. Anil Ananthakrishna, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EKOVEHICLES Pvt. Ltd, seems to have done just that. In his words, Mr. Anil says “We wanted to give the country something that is not just eco-friendly, but pocket-friendly too”. And indeed he did. EKOVEHICLES Private Limited, the Bangalore-based electric scooter manufacturer, has already established its name as India’s first eco-friendly two-wheeler that runs on batteries charged with electricity.

Despite suggestions from his friends in the US to launch the vehicle there, Mr. Anil returned to India and launched the vehicle in January 05. “My heart was always telling me to produce this vehicle in India and then take it to the world markets as a ‘Made in India’ ” he says. Mr. Anil is an electric vehicles technologist, who returned to Bangalore after working for over 25 years in Europe, USA, Mexico and China, to initiate this project. An Engineering Graduate from Bangalore, he later got involved in the Development process of Electric Vehicle Technology in Europe & USA. He has been a pioneer in this field and was the co-founder of the World EV Organization at Toronto, Canada in 1984.

Having his base in USA though, he spends a major part of his time in India and China. He has over 30 years experience as an Entrepreneur in Business Management, Technology and Operations. As a strategist, he always believed in developing strong partnerships internationally. He has coordinated development projects with companies in the U.S, Canada, Europe and Asia. His experience in non-polluting powered vehicle design, testing and manufacturing is what has given birth to EKOVEHICLES in India.

“Vidyut 24” was the first battery operated electric vehicle made by Anil at his first industrial facilities called Electro Anil Ltd in Bangalore, India. However, after carrying out many experiments and manufacturing several types of battery operated vehicles in US and Germany, Mr. Anil succeeded in designing and developing a quality based electric two-wheeler, which can be used for daily commuting with low cost and zero maintenance.

EKOVEHICLES has set up its unit in Bangalore, where the two-wheelers are manufactured. The company imports parts and components from overseas and domestic E-Mark, CE compliant and ISO 900 certified vendors. There are 15 skilled and 10 unskilled people working at Bangalore unit. The total cost of the project was $2.2 million (around Rs.10 crore). EKO Cosmic’s VRLA battery is fully sealed and needs no maintenance. The vehicles come with a charger, which can be plugged into any of the electric points and needs four hours for full recharge and the life of the battery is around two years. The company is in the process of setting up “Rapid battery charging Stations” at several places in the city of Bangalore, which enables the customers to charge the vehicle in just 10 minutes. Mr. Anil insists that this recharging facility be given to the unemployed in turn providing employment to many.

The specialty of EKOVEHICLES is that it can be assembled in just 20 minutes. One more uniqueness is that the neodymium iron boron magnet brushless DC hub motor has been integrated into the rear wheel so that whenever the brakes are applied, the motor switches off by itself and restarts as soon as the acceleration is given. It can carry two persons at a speed of 40 kms/hr. EKO Cosmic -I costs about Rs 33,500 on road.

The maintenance of this revolutionary battery-operated vehicle is very simple and pocket friendly. It can run up to 50 km on a single charge and costs just Rs. 4-5 for every new charge, which can be done at any of the plug points at your office or home. EKO-Cosmic vehicles have rear wheel hub motor which powers the vehicle. This eliminates transmission losses providing efficiency and energy savings. The distinctive inimitability of EKO Vehicles is the absence of clutch, chain, gears and other conventional mechanical parts that lead to greatly reduced maintenance. The running cost for the Eko-Cosmic Battery Operated two-wheeler is under 35 paisa per km, as against a rupee or over for petrol driven two-wheelers. This includes battery recharging and maintenance. The battery has to be replaced after 15,000 km commuting under standard conditions.

Having successfully launched the two-wheeler in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Mr. Anil Ananthakrishna is now planning to launch electric three-wheelers with the same concept. The company plans to manufacture a three-seater three-wheeler and four-seater omni-type four-wheeler cars, which can cost up to Rs. 80,000 and taxes if any. While the prototype vehicle of four-wheeler is ready, the company is currently developing suppliers in India. With this “We are ready for the launch by 2008” he says.

EKOVEHICLES has also made certain customized vehicles for physically challenged persons, which are sold against specific orders. “At present we are working on and testing a new type of two-wheeler, which is almost similar to a bicycle. The motor capacity will be just 250 watts (about 5 cc) and to be priced within Rs 15,000. This will be very handy for students and joy riders”, he adds.

Meanwhile, the company has made a presentation to the government of Tamil Nadu for launching it in the State and is waiting for an approval from the State Government, as electric vehicle selling needs every State Government’s approval. “We are hopeful of launching Eko-Cosmic in Chennai during this year, and more and more states one by one.” Mr. Anil adds, “I am working towards setting up rapid chargers in association with Retail Petrol Bunks in the city and also in highways which will facilitate the commuters to go for a longer ride”.

The philosophy of EKOVEHICLES lies in utilizing state-of-the-art technologies. The use of existing standardized components, wherever possible, substantially reduces development time and investment. The final products that result from this design process, offer proven quality, performance, and homologation at a relative low cost.

EKOVEHICLES of this kind can save future generations from living in a ‘Perpetual Gas Chamber’.

1. Mr. Mahadevan, General Manager of IdeaNow Communication who is working on the adverting of EKOVEHICLES says, “There should be a good connection or what we call a relationship between the consumer and the product with its benefits. Only then will the product be a big success”
2. Ms. Preet Malhotra, a Mount Carmel student says, “I am really happy with the bike because as a college going girl, I knew I needed something hip and trendy, and my Eko bike is just that”.
3. Mrs. Poornima Hedge, a housewife has to say that it is extremely convenient for her to drop and pick up her kids from school. Since she hardly travels for more than 50 kms, this bike is a cost-effective way to ride around for small chores.

Other Initiatives

The use of Electric Vehicles has good CDM (Clean Development Mechanism)potential except for the fact that as of now there is no approved baseline and monitoring methodology available for transportation sector which correlates the fact that this project requires a new methodology to be developed. This requires lot of deliberations jointly with considerable amount of time.

The preliminary estimated potential indicates scope in fuel switch and renewable. The average quantity of Certified Emission Reduction (CER) from fuel switch option would be above 28,000 tonnes CO2 per annum with a value of 0.29 million US $. In addition to this the average quantity of CER from renewable energy option (recharging facilities) would be above 25,000 tonnes CO2 per annum .