Chennai: Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle (EV) arm of Ashok Leyland, has invested INR 100 crore in the development of its newly- unveiled light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in the 2-3.5T intelligent electric vehicles (IeV) series. The unveiling was part of event to mark the occasion of the parent company’s 75th anniversary of operations.
The company had showcased the prototype of its IeVs at the Auto Expo in January this year. On Thursday, it unveiled the IeV3 and IeV4 as part of the series.
Switch said prices of the two vehicles would be announced during their market launch which will happen in January 2024, post which customer deliveries will begin in the same month.
The company’s IeV series is based on a modular and scalable platform, which has the capability to produce vehicles with payload ranging from 1.2-4.5 tonne. The series of vehicles are enabled with a 330 V high voltage EV architecture in the 2-3.5 tonne CV category.
“We will have multiple forms of vehicles, taken from the parent company and electrified. We will launch 2 more products in the 2-3.5 T in the next 5 years,” Mahesh Babu, Global CEO, Switch Mobility, told ETAuto.
Currently, there are no LCVs with this payload category in the market. “We are electrifying the products based on customer requirements. Right now, there is no competition. It will come but we will remain the first movers,” Babu said.
Calling the two models as ‘twin brothers’, the company CEO said both have been developed at a project cost of about INR 100 crore, and will be manufactured at Ashok Leyland’s production facility in Hosur.
The new IeVs are capable of holding up to 340 cubic feet of containers and gets clutch-less operation, electric power steering system. With a robust battery pack ranging from 25.6 to 32.2 kWh, it will deliver a range of up to 300 kilometres of operation in a day (with Opportunity Charging). The LCVs boast a payload of up to 1.7 tons.
Switch claims it provides a value proposition for MSMEs, cottage industries, and e-commerce in the country.
Babu said the new IeV will be exported to neighbouring markets including Nepal, Bangladesh. It is further looking at South East Asian Countries, GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council countries) and the Middle East, where Ashok Leyland sells its light commercial vehicle products.
In the electric bus category, Switch has till date supplied over 750 vehicles globally.
By the end of FY24, the company will launch a new E1 bus in Europe, which will be produced in the company’s facility in the UK.
