Mumbai-based start-up, Artem Energy Future Pvt Ltd, has teased its first electric scooter, the M9. Claimed to be the ‘safest electric scooter’ to go on sale in India, the M9 has been equipped with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), which consists of cameras and radars with an effective radius of up to 100m to alert the rider. According to Artem, the M9 employs a two-step approach – collision prevention and collision alert. Proximity warning is relayed to the rider through a smart helmet and via vibration feedback at the handlebars. The scooter also features emergency braking, applied through EDB (Electro-Dynamic Braking) which relies on reverse traction force to shed speeds effectively. Also, in case of an accident, the M9 will send emergency messages and calls to five preset numbers, in order to provide quick response to the victim.
According to Rajit Arya, CEO of Artem Energy Future, electric vehicles will continue to pollute, as most of the electricity comes from coal-powered plants. And to fix this, the company is planning to build solar-powered battery-swapping infrastructure which can be installed at places such as petrol bunks, where owners can swap batteries and run their vehicles using clean energy.
While Artem hasn’t shared specifications of the electric motor, it has claimed a top speed of 90kph, a 0-50kph acceleration time of 6sec and a range of 100km per charge. The Artem M9 can be charged via an onboard fast charger and owners also have the option of swapping batteries.
The electric two-wheeler segment in India has witnessed a lot of action in the recent past, and, in April 2018, Ather Energy announced its plans of launching the S340.