Eco-friendly public transport: Piaggio launches e rickshaws in Vijayawada

As a breakthrough in environment-friendly transportation, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL) launched their electric autorickshaws (e rickshaws), named Apé E-City, in Vijayawada. The electric vehicle is powered by a 4.7 kWh lithium-ion battery and can offer around 70-80 km range on a full charge. It was launched during the inauguration of the company’s Ape Electric Experience Centre showroom.

As per Mr. Saju Nair, Head of Commercial Vehicle Business -Piaggio India, Vijayawada was chosen for the launch of e rickshaws as it is one of the rapidly growing commercial hubs in Andhra Pradesh, thereby making it a strategic market. He also added that the Ape’ E-City offers the best value in terms of capacity, pick-up, mileage & maintenance. Mr. Nair also went on to state that since the Andhra Pradesh Government’s focus is on promoting sustainable mobility, Ape E-City is the right choice for Vijayawada; where three-wheelers are one of the primary modes of last-mile transportation.

Mr. Diego Graffi, MD & CEO – Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. was also present for the launch. He said “Ape’, a brand with a trust of more than 29 lac happy customer is paving the way for the Indian electric revolution with the Ape’ Electrik range and Ape’ E-City as the 1st offering.

The Piaggio Ape E-City comes with features such as swappable Li-ion batteries, an automatic gearbox, superior power and torque, no gear and clutch, doors for safety & a fully digital cluster. The latter offers information like state of charge, drive modes, service alerts, economy mode and more.