TVS to re-launch electric scooters

TVS Motor Company will re-launch electric scooters in India again. TVS will launch the Scooty Teenz and plans to launch new products. The company is currently carrying out test runs of about 50 electric scooters across various towns in the country. TVS will launch electric scooters which will run on lead acid batteries initially. The products will be manufactured in the Mysore facility.

TVS had launched electric scooterette ‘Scooty Teenz Electric’ in April 2008  and stopped the production in May 2009 as it received a lukewarm response from the market. The company had also shelved its plans to launch electric three-wheelers.

With the budget for 2011-12 proposed to set up a National Mission for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles to encourage manufacturing and selling of alternative fuel-based vehicles.

It also proposed to cut excise duty on development and manufacturing of hybrid vehicle kits to 5 per cent from the existing 10 per cent, besides fully exempting customs and counter-vailing duty on import of special hybrid parts.

In November last year, the government had announced a Rs 95 crore incentive package for the electric vehicle makers for the remaining part of the 11th plan.

Source: ET