Chennai
The company which specialises in making e-buggies, golf carts, sight-seeing buses, people movers and special utility vehicles is now venturing into the charging infrastructure space too. Siddhaarth Madabushi, the CEO of Tri Electric (P) Ltd, which makes the Aquila brand of e-vehicles tells us, “Our company was founded in 2014 to cater exclusively to the e-vehicle market. We have close to 12 products in our portfolio for off-road applications and we have been suppliers to institutions as diverse as the govt – in railways stations, defence installations, airports, zoos and heritage sites, to private operators running holiday resorts, golf courses, educational and healthcare institutions. Close to 10 vehicles of ours are deployed at the Chennai International Airport, 20 in Vandalur Zoo and 5 in Chennai Central. Over the past 5 years, we have sold as many as 350 to 400 vehicles – pan India.”
The company has a 40,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Gummidipoondi, Thiruvallur, and has an international presence in Europe, Singapore and the Middle East. The unit primarily serves as assembly functions. Most of the major components of the e-vehicles such as the chassis and the body are outsourced to smaller vendors in the vicinity. Siddhaarth says, “An investment of Rs 10 cr had gone into this unit and we have been growing at an encouraging rate year on year, both turnover and volume wise. This year by the end of March, we had produced between 250 to 300 vehicles. Although our plant capacity is close to 600 vehicles annually, we are running only at 50 per cent capacity at this point. Tamil Nadu is where most of our clients are, in most govt colleges and hospitals. This month, we have an order book for as many as 35 vehicles on the anvil.”
The company which claims to be India’s first e-vehicle maker with a 23-seater bus in its portfolio, is also keen on addressing the replacement market. Charging infrastructure is yet another space where the company sees it competencies being focussed in the next few months. Siddhaarth tells us, “We are working on a charging infrastructure project involving a universal charging station – compatible with all vehicles. We are also planning to enter the commercial vehicle space with a e-pick-up truck. This might take about six to eight months to go for live testing.”
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