Japanese EV maker Terra Motors set for India debut

Japanese electric vehicle manufacturer, Terra Motors is all set to mark its official entry in India in the upcoming Auto Expo 2014. The company is not only setting up an India office but is also planning to launch (and not just display) electric scooters, and electric three-wheelers at the expo. 

Teppei Seki, country manager, Terra Motors India, told our sister magazine Autocar Professional, "we will soon make an official announcement over our presence in India and will launch our electric scooters, and three-wheelers at the Auto Expo.”

The company currently also operates out of other Asian markets such as Vietnam and Philippines, and sells revolutionary products, one of which is the A4000i. The model, released last year (July 2013) in Tokyo, is termed as the world’s first mass production model to be connected to a smartphone (iPhone series currently). The feature enables the rider to store details such as electricity consumption, battery life, riding data and others on cloud database. 

The A4000i uses a rear in-wheel motor which is powered by Terra Motors’ own lithium ion battery pack (48V/40AH), which according to the company data lasts for 50,000 km (lifetime range). Terra Motors aims at selling this model primarily in the South-Asian markets (including Japan) and, according to a company release, are targeting to sell nearly 1 lakh units by end-2015. 

Terra Motors may display the A4000i and other similar electric scooters at the Auto Expo 2014. 

While electric two-wheeler makers in India continue to face lag in technology and zeal to promote the environment-friendly vehicles, it would be interesting to see if foreign competition entering India could be a wake-up call for them. We expect an official announcement from Terra Motors soon.