Okinawa is bullish about touching 10,000 units in the current financial year. The Gurgaon-based electric two-wheeler manufacturer has been operating in the country for just over a year with two products in its portfolio.
Speaking to BikeWale, Mr Jeetender Sharma, MD, Okinawa Scooters said that the lack of awareness among consumers has been the biggest roadblock for the company so far. To break the myths, the company has been focussing on improving the performance of its electric vehicles, followed by the battery life, range and quality. Lithium-ion batteries would play an important role in helping boost the penetration of electric vehicles.
Lithium-ion batteries have a better range and performance, are more compact in size and require lower charging time as compared to their lead-acid counterparts. Okinawa has filed a patent for a new type of lithium-ion battery developed in-house at their R&D facility in Gurugram, which will be used in its future range of electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries are significantly more expensive than lead-acid batteries, but they also attract a higher subsidy from the government.
Since it commenced its operations in January 2017, Okinawa has set up 150 dealerships across the country. Over the next year, the company will target setting up 200 more dealerships, while in over two years, the total count is expected to touch 500. The company has tied up with HDFC bank to help customers finance their purchase. The company has two scooters in its range as of now, the Ridge and the Praise, and these would be joined by the Oki 100 motorcycle by the end of this calendar year.
