Eva, India’s first solar-powered electric vehicle, will go on sale in 2024 thanks to Pune-based startup Vayve Mobility. Deliveries are expected to start in the middle of the year. In addition to the power from the 14kWH battery, which can power a drive of 250km, the car has 150 watt solar panels on the sunroof that can extend its range by 10–12 km per day, or 3,000 km per year.
“Photovoltaics has advanced significantly in recent years. As the weight and price have decreased, efficiency has grown. We were able to find the ideal balance between the solar panel’s size and the car’s 550 kg weight. The average daily distance driven by a client in India is 30 km. That is 30% of your commute simply from solar, according to Nilesh Bajaj, CEO of Vayve, even if you only receive 10 kilometres per day from solar.
The chief operating officer (COO), chief technology officer (CTO), and programme manager of Vayve, a company specialising on urban mobility, respectively, are Saurabh Mehta and Vilas Deshpande. Eva is an early entrant in the micro mobility or mini mobility market that addresses the needs of commuters who must contend with congested traffic, constrained roadways, and a lack of parking spots as they go about their daily tasks. Hence, 70 kmph is the maximum speed it can reach.
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“When we began working on Eva, we had a really basic question: Do you really need a big automobile when you commute every day between your house and your place of employment, drop off the kids at school, or simply go to the mall? According to statistics, we are not using all of the capacity in our cars while we travel. According to Bajaj, the average car occupancy in India is less than 1.5.
The purpose of Eva is to “bring back the thrill of city driving” and can fit two adults and a child.
Eva has a narrow body and a large field of vision, making her intended to be agile. Parking and manoeuvring will be simple. It will only require half the width of a typical automobile. Eva makes city driving lively and enjoyable with a quick pick-up (0-40 kph in five seconds), according to the Vayve website.
According to the most recent Union Budget, India is focused on growing the number of EVs, but the sector is struggling due to the slow growth of supporting infrastructure. While finding gas pumps is simple for drivers, finding charging stations for their electric vehicles is more difficult.
“Eva offers a secure and dependable battery that includes active liquid cooling, the most cutting-edge type of cooling. According to Bajaj, the car’s lithium-ion battery is thermally stable and perfect for Indian climates. About pricing, Bajaj tells a story involving COO Deshpande, who lived in the US for 26 years before returning last year. He has only driven electric automobiles for the past seven years. He admitted to using public charging stations just a handful of times during the previous seven years. We overestimate our reliance on public charging infrastructure, but the reality is that no one will purchase an electric vehicle unless they have access to a charging outlet at their home or place of employment, he claims. Both when the car is moving and when it is parked in a spot with sunlight, Eva’s solar panel can be charged. When using a conventional household outlet at home, charging the battery takes four hours, but when using a DC fast charging option, it charges to 80% capacity in just 45 minutes.
