eBikeGO and ASSAR Join Hands to launch New e-Bikes Across 7 Cities
| Gitanjali Tiwary, Freelance Journalist, Noida, UP - 08 Oct 2020

By Geetanjali Tiwary

INDIAN OBSERVER POST 

New Delhi, Oct 07, 2020: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to explore Opportunity in the adverse situation of Covid-19 to make India ‘Atmanirbharta’, and also to achieve the mission of providing clean and sustainable mobility, India’s fastest growing e-mobility start-up eBikeGO has signed a strategic partnership with ASSAR (Advanced Services for Social and Administrative Reforms) and EoDB (ease of doing business), for government facilitation to drive EV adoption. Under the alliance initiated on World EV Day, 9 September 2020, eBikeGO will now help its business partners in electric mobility space through its franchise owned and company-operated (FOCO) model.

Welcoming and congratulating the strategic alliance between India’s fastest growing e-mobility start-up eBikeGO, and ASSAR (Advanced Services for Social and Administrative Reforms) and EoDB (ease of doing business), Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) says, “I congratulate eBikeGO and ASSAR on this strategic partnership. It’s a heartening move as together both ASSAR and eBikeGO’s efforts complement each other. Supporting and protecting the ecology with green energy solution, creation of employment opportunity and providing thrust towards economic independence; this partnership will actually bear positive impact on sustainable development of our country. I therefore congratulate both partners and obsequiously view this as a timely move towards our Honourable Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and overall development of the nation.”

The alliance was initiated on World EV Day, Sept 9th, 2020 with on boarding of eBikeGO at Ease of Doing Business program of ASSAR. This strategic partnership is facilitating faster adoption of electric two wheeler by deployment of ebikes in the gap formed by surge in home delivery demand created after lockdown.

ASSAR would facilitate ease of doing business to its partners and EV- owners entering electric mobility space through Franchise Owned and Company Operated (FOCO) model ofeBikeGO.

Founded in 2017 Amritsar-born and now Mumbai based, eBikeGO offers smart IoT-powered mobility solutions is founded and led by serial entrepreneur T Irfan who is also in the hospitality and wellness industry. Currently, eBikeGO offers electric bikes on subscription in five cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Amritsar, and Jaipur. The  electric mobility start-up started with 640 users in 2017 and is now providing mobility services to more than 18,000 users.

Under this partnership EoDB and eBikeGO will co-promote and co-deploy over 3000 EV bikes to various e-commerce and logistics companies like Amazon, Big Basket, Swiggy etc. There, will also be support from Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), which is aggressively empowering better credit facilities, finance and bank guarantees to micro enterprises through various government schemes and public / private banks. More discussions to bring sustainability in centre-stage on this initiative are under way with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Department of Science & Technology and Ministry of Electronics.

These 3000 bikes are the first of the lot from the ambitious pool of 30,000 bikes, that eBikeGO is targeting to convert to EV out of the current running base of 3 crore two-wheeler on Indian roads. In the phase 1, the deployment plan of these bikes will be across 7 cities with targets of nearly-  900 in Delhi, 700 in Mumbai, 700 in Bangalore, 200 in Pune, 150 in Amritsar, 150 in Hyderabad and 200 in Jaipur.  

Commenting on the association, Dr.T.Irfan Khan, Founder & CEO, eBikeGO adds, “Our interest in this collaboration is twofold, firstly it is in line with our ambition to push EV adoption in India and work towards the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat by being less fuel dependent on other countries. This will have a positive impact on the country's GDP and enable EV adopters to avail an eco-friendly, and economy travel. Secondly, this is a great way to drive employability through a new age business opportunity - an investment of Rs. 10lacs if made in a commercial shop, will employ at best 4-6 people. But 10 lacs worth investment through eBikego’s business partnership, if made in a fleet of EV bikes promises to employ about 50 people who may be 10th pass, and can become economically independent as delivery executives, through a basic 15 day15-day training module of driving the electric vehicles.”

Talking about the business partnership, Mr. Abhijeet Sinha, National Program Director of Ease of Doing Business at ASSAR elucidates, “Our vision to facilitate ease of doing business resonates well with the Prime Minister’s call to search for opportunities in the times of crisis for –“Atmanirbhar Bharat”. This alliance with eBikeGO is befitting correctly timed and comes as direct move towards employment generation to the tune of 10,000+ every quarter with deployment of electric bikes.”

“ASSAR is a company doing pilots like ‘National E-Highway Delhi-Agra-Jaipur (NHEV) to facilitate ease of doing business in electric mobility sector among other associations doing conferences. This partnership will help us deliver on our commitment to deploy electric cars & buses on highways with NHEV, and now, two wheelers with eBikeGO in the cities, ” he adds.

Employment, environment, EV adoption, economy, entrepreneurshipet al ; there are many a first to this alliance. We are excited for the times ahead and commit ourselves to facilitate an overall ease, safety and sound business environment for the EV sector. Our vision is to ultimately make electric mobility most affordable, most easy and most scalable in India” he adds further.

Government of India under its program FAME India scheme is working to promote electric mobility in the country. Some of the major actions taken in this regards are as follows.

GST on EVs is reduced to 5% from the current rate of 12%.

Government has extended an additional income tax deduction of Rs 1.5 Lakh on interest paid on loans to the buyers of Electric Vehicle to buy EVs is provided.

Ministry of Power has allowed sale of electricity as ‘service’ for charging of electric vehicles. This would serve as an incentive to attract investments into charging infrastructure.

Ministry of Road Transport Highways (MoRTH) issued notification regarding exemption of permit in case of battery operated commercial vehicles.

MoRTH has issued a notification for Green Number plate for the use of Electric Vehicles.

Ministry of Finance has revised the custom duty on the EV components to promote local manufacturing of these components.


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