MANUFACTURER and reseller of electric motor vehicles Agilitee has announced its collaboration with India’s largest electric mobility platform eBikeGo to produce and distribute electronic motorcycles in Africa.
Agilitee described itself as a business in the electric vehicle (EV) value chain, contributing to the evolution of the EV industry in Africa by exploring the research and industrialisation of intelligent technologies.
eBikeGo Private Limited is a company that produces products for the EV market in India. The company has operations in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, and Hyderabad to capture a 10 percent share of India’s two-wheeler market by 2022.
Agilitee said the partnership would also see a roll-out of training and skills transfer to young aspiring entrepreneurs.
The company said there was a need for cost-efficient modes of transport on the African continent, while tackling the reality of climate change and the high cost of fuel.
Agilitee chief executive Mandla Lamba said: “Our passionate and agile team are pioneering, researching, importing, assembling, manufacturing and franchising electric vehicle and motorbike technology, including battery swopping stations and solar charging facilities across the continent.”
According to Agilitee, the “LoadEx”, Agilitee’s first delivery motorcycle, will retail for R35 000 and includes a battery with the capacity to travel 160km.
“The ’Wild Grace’ model, designed for private use, includes a battery capable of achieving 330km. The motor vehicles will retail at competitive prices, like those of their petrol/diesel counterparts. However, with each car equipped with a solar charging system, the fuel and maintenance costs will be reduced by at least 45 percent – a much-needed saving grace for the already constrained budgets of South Africans,” the company said.
The “Wild Grace” and the “RTF” (Return to Freedom) will retail at R175 000 and R55 000, which includes the maintenance plan and three-year warranty and servicing for all motorcycles.
Agilitee added that it would also introduce an additional delivery scooter at the targeted price of R11 000.
The company said Agilitee’s product launch would be today (Friday).
“This will be followed by seven more product launches in major cities across the country as well as smaller towns and metros,” it said.
Agilitee also said it was developing its assembly plant, which is expected to be operational by 2022. The plant is set to be transformed into a comprehensive manufacturing plant within six months to enable all products sold to be 100 percent proudly South African.
The company announced that it has also partnered with two of South Africa’s biggest banks, Absa and Capitec. The banks will provide financing for the motorcycles.
Agilitee has also included a rent-to-buy option for the RTF, mainly targeted at students, starting at R1 300 a month.
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