Baaz Bikes launches e-scooters, battery swapping network in India
E2W startup Baaz Bikes has introduced its new generation electric vehicle ecosystem for the Indian market. The company is based out of New Delhi, targets the Gig Delivery Riders as their primary customers and have completed 1.4 million green kms on the Baaz Platform.
The Baaz EV ecosystem comprises of the purpose-built electric two-wheelers called 'Baaz', advanced Li-ion swappable batteries called 'Baaz Energy Pods', automated battery swapping network called 'Baaz Swap Network', and an app platform called 'Baazigar'.
With the aim to bring cost-effective and innovative solutions to the two-wheeler logistic market in the country, Baaz Bikes claims to have designed its electric scooter specifically for gig delivery workers to meet their daily mobility needs. Designed and developed by the in-house team, the electric scooter is priced ₹ 35,000 (ex-showroom price, Delhi).
The effective price of the e-scooter has been brought down significantly by separating the battery from the electric scooter, making it much more economical for gig riders. The buyers can rent e-scooters from the brand's authorized centers. The Baaz Swapping Network will work on the 'pay-as-you-move' model, which will further lower the daily cost of usability for gig delivery riders, according to the company.
Speaking on the occasion, Anubhav Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, Baaz Bikes, said, "As a leading promoter of sustainable mobility, our vision is to bring high-quality products and develop an advanced ecosystem with utmost safety and complete satisfaction for the gig riders. All our products and services are designed & developed in-house to bring prominent solutions for the riders on the road such as range anxiety, easy access to charging and lower running expenses".
He further added, "At present, we are operating with a cluster approach, where we launch our vehicles within a radius of 4-5 km in Delhi. In the next 8 months, we aim to replicate this model in multiple clusters to achieve density and blanket the entire Delhi with the Baaz Ecosystem, maintaining the high utilisation of the network. As the network grows, it will open new opportunities for us to address a wider audience."
On EV prospects and the company's vision, Shubham Srivastava, Chief Technology Officer, Baaz Bikes, said "Each of our design ideologies stems from some unique insight obtained from ground reality. The commercial segment has a lot of rough usage which impacts the overall condition of the vehicle if not maintained well".
"While designing the product, our key focus was to develop an electric scooter which can meet the operational challenges and stand as a strong partner for gig riders. Considering the present need and demand of the riders, we decided to make a strong metallic exoskeleton that encloses everything and that too, an elegant one. Further, the scooter is also enabled with the latest technology to provide necessary support at the time of deliveries", Shubham added.
The 'Energy Pods' come with a bunch of safety features recommended by AIS 156 as a standard, making them thermal management flame retardant. The swappable batteries are IP 68 rated and equipped with CAN-based intelligent BMS, designed in-house by the company. Baaz claims that these batteries will be offered to other OEMs as well.
