India: TVS Motor secures an order for 500 electric three-wheelers

Indian two- and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor has secured a bulk order of 500 units of its first electric three-wheeler - the King EV Max - from OOR Cabs, a cab aggregator startup based in Chennai (Tamil Nadu). The duo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for these e- rickshaws on Thursday.

TVS Motor, also headquartered in Chennai, plans to deliver all 500 units of the King EV Max to OOR Cabs by March 2026. The company handed over the first ten units during the signing ceremony and plans to deliver the next ten units in June.

OOR Cabs will use the King EV Max to provide customers eco-friendly intra-city transport across Tamil Nadu. The local cab aggregator will deploy the electric rickshaw first in Trichy, followed by Madurai and then Coimbatore. The company plans to gradually expand its EV fleet with 20-30 units every month.

“The TVS King EV MAX has been engineered for high performance, that provides superior rider comfort and makes it an ideal choice for OOR Cabs’ vision of redefining urban transportation,” said Rajat Gupta, Business Head of Commercial Mobility, TVS Motor.

“With a vision to expand our fleet to 500 electric vehicles this year, we are proud to kick-start the journey with TVS Motor Company, whose product and engineering capabilities match our high standards,” OOR Cabs CEO Maria Issac added.

TVS Motor offers the King EV Max for a price of 295,000 rupees (about €3,000 euros), excluding on-road costs. When the company launched the electric rickshaw in January, it only sold the model in Delhi, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal, limiting availability to northern and eastern India. Now, it’s offering the EV in the southern region as well.

King EV Max features a permanent magnet synchronous motor that generates 11 kW and 40 Nm of torque. A 9.2 kWh LFP battery pack that operates at 51.2 volts and supports charging at up to 3 kW powers the motor. Customers can charge it from 0 to 80% SoC in two hours and 15 minutes and from 0 to 100% in three hours and 30 minutes. The electric rickshaw achieves a top speed of 60 kph and travels up to 179 km on a full charge, which is more than sufficient for a full
day’s operation.

According to a recent study from the International Energy Agency, India is the world’s largest market for electric three-wheelers. Last year, the country saw a sales of nearly 700,000 electric three-wheelers. South Korean automaker Hyundai is considering entering this crucial EV segment in partnership with TVS Motor.

tvsmotor.com, iea.org