Bounce to launch its first electric scooter this month

Bengaluru-based start-up Bounce, which is best known for its scooter rental service, is all set to enter the manufacturing arena, with plans to launch its first electric scooter this month.

• Will feature a swappable battery pack

• Batteries can be rented as a service, need not be bought with scooter

• Deliveries to begin January 2022

The so-far unnamed electric scooter from Bounce will feature swappable battery packs, and buyers will have the option of renting the batteries from the company, rather than purchasing them as part of the scooter. This should bring down the purchase cost of the scooters, while adding a recurring subscription cost.

To support this model, Bounce will be setting up battery swapping stations, though it hasn’t mentioned any further specifics about how many or how soon. The battery packs and battery management system will be indigenous, but the cells in the battery packs will be imported, specifically from Panasonic and LG Chem.

Bounce claims that deliveries will begin in January 2022, and if you’re wondering how this company has emerged pretty much out of the blue with plans to build a new electric scooter, the answer is partly down to the fact that the company recently acquired 22Motors, the same company that partnered with Kymco for operations in India. The acquisition occurred just a month ago, at a reported value of around USD 7 million (approx. Rs 52 crore).

As a result of this, Bounce has gained 22Motors’ intellectual property, as well as its manufacturing plant in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, with an annual capacity of 1,20,000 units. It also plans to set up another plant in south India, which is intriguing, since even a well-established e-scooter manufacturer like Ather only shifted 1,799 units in August this year.