The launch of the new products is in line with the growing demand for e-bikes in India,triggered by the rising awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle. GoZero’s CEO, Ankit Kumar, said, “The pandemic has triggered and propelled the need for people to take health seriously. We have seen a sudden increase in e-bike sales globally. Our core aim at GoZero is to continuously develop exceptional products that become an aid for people to adopt an active lifestyle. We are launching the Pro version of Skellig, launching our Make.Fit series of active performance wear and releasing our new toll-free lines for our customers.”

Headquartered in Birmingham, the company entered the Indian market in April 2019 with the launch of two e-bikes. To introduce the products in the market, GoZero has partnered up with Kirti Solar based in Kolkata, for the development and manufacturing of current and future products, utilising the global supply chain to “Make in India”. As a part of the association, Kirti Solar has invested USD 250,000 in GoZero Mobility.

Skellig is powered by the EnerDrive 210Wh lithium battery pack (800 cycles), 250W motor and comes with several modes including Throttle Mode, 5-level Peddle-Assist Mode, Walk Mode, and Cruise Mode. The model has an alloy stem handle and features 26x1.95 tyres and a premium counter-body suspension fork.

Skellig Lite combines the EnerDrive 210 Wh lithium battery pack (800 cycles) and 250W motor with three modes. It features an alloy stem handle, with 26x1.95 tyres, specialised V-brakes and an independent rigid suspension fork. Both the models have a maximum speed of 25 kmph with a range of 25 km on a single charge.The EnerDrive Battery packs can be charged in just 2.5 hours.

The company has also introduced a Pro version which is a hybrid e-bike for off-roading and city commute both. Powered by EnerDrive 400 Wh lithium battery pack (2000 cycles), it is supported by a composite mild steel frame, 7-speed gear system with an advanced front suspension fork, an alloy stem handle and disc brakes for both wheels.

Besides, it has Control Version 4.0 LCD and a flashlight with a guide-me-home enabled lighting system. The maximum speed of this model is 25 kmph and powers through for 70 km range in a single charge, which takes around three hours to recharge from 0-95 percent.

According to Kumar, the e-bike market in India is growing three folds every year. Last year 6,000 units were sold, of which the company had a share of 30 percent. This year, the industry sees tremendous growth due to focus on health and social distancing, clocking around 19,000 units. Though the e-bike is a niche market, it fits in between two segments-the bicycle and the two-wheeler industry, which have a sales volume of 16 million and 21 million units, respectively.

“E-bikes become the right option for both types of consumers- first who want to an e-bike for commute and do not want pay big amounts on scooters or motorcycle and for those, a larger group, who want e-bikes for commuting purpose and healthy lifestyles as well. We focus on to offer the right mix of technology, cost and quality,” said Kumar.

Skellig and Skellig Pro, are being sold through online and offline routes, while the Skellig Lite is being sold through online platforms. About 75 percent of the sales comes from offline, while the rest comes from online portals.

After launching of its two models, the One and the Mile, last year, the company realised that there are larger numbers of people who want to buy an e-bike in the range between INR15,000 to INR 20,000. However, there is no company which offers e-bikes in that range. Therefore, it launched Skellig Lite for INR 19,999.

To expand business, the company is doubling its dealers to 100 by January 2021. The company is taking entrepreneurs on board, and the programme is called direct sales partners. Explaining this programme, Kumar said, this is for individuals who have a passion for sales and wants to start their own business but does not have capital. “If a person has sales experience, he can join us as a direct sales partner. We give him/ her all collaterals- the marketing materials-and if the person cracks a deal with an individual or a corporate, the direct sales partner gets a commission. They don’t need to keep an inventory.”

As of now, the company has over 100 direct sales partners and, in the last three month, it has converted seven direct sales partners into the dealers.

The company is also expanding its experience centres in India from three to five soon.

Kumar said, “Our dealers get a margin of up to 16 percent on e-bikes and we also offer good margins on the active performance wears which have been launched by the company recently.”

The company gives a warranty of two years on each e-bike and provides two free services in the first year. The company is increasing local authorised technicians, whose data will be updated soon on the company website, to have e-bike serviced at home. It is also working on having partnerships with service providers such as GO Mechanic to avail services where the company dealers and technicians are not available as of now.

On the possibility of price reduction, Kumar said, “We will be trying to reduce the prices of our products further, but there is a threshold. We cannot bring down the prices after one level as we do not compromise on the quality of our e-bikes. Main costs of any e-bikes come from batteries, motors, and controllers. Until India does manufacture cells and make batteries locally, it will be difficult to bring down the prices after a certain level.”

The company has a manufacturing unit near Kolkata with a capacity of 12,000 units per annum. To support speedy deliveries it is also exploring to build a facility in North India, which will have a capacity of 20,000 per year.The company is facing significant challenges on the logistic for delivery of the products due to COVID. According to Kumar, delivery time and cost have doubled thanks to COVID. “We do not see the logistic business will come back on track at least for the next one year and that is the one the reasons to open a plant in North so we can cater to north and west market more efficiently,” said Kumar.

Last year the company sold around 1,150 units, and for this year, it targets to sell about 2,000 units. “Due to the lockdown, we have revised our sales target from 3,000 units to 2,000 units for this FY.” Majority business for the company comes from south India, particularly, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other cities, where technology adaption is faster.

To enhance e-bikes’ experience, the company has launched comfort apparels. Most of the amateur cyclists do not feel comfortable wearing skintight spandex. It has developed active gears, specifically design to bend tech with comfort and style. “We have introduced active gears which are comfortable and durable products and allows more breathability to users,” Kumar added. (MT)

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Bengaluru-based design and technology services major Tata Elxsi and Japanese auto major Suzuki Motor Corporation have inaugurated the Suzuki–Tata Elxsi Cloud HIL Centre in Trivandrum, India.

The new centre is Suzuki’s first full-vehicle cloud-enabled Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) validation facility and represents the second engineering centre established under the Tata Elxsi–Suzuki partnership, following the Offshore Development Centre (ODC) in Pune.

The new facility is engineered for early-stage, full-vehicle simulation and validation through a cloud-native infrastructure. It will allow the Japanese automaker’s development and test teams to remotely access HIL infrastructure integrated with Electronic Control Units (ECUs) – reducing reliance on physical prototypes and accelerating validation cycles across R&D centres worldwide. This aligns with Suzuki’s roadmap for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), reinforcing a shift toward software-led, scalable development.

Being purpose-built, the facility integrates Tata Elxsi’s domain expertise in automotive Verification and Validation (V&V), test automation and simulation, which it claims enables transformative advancements in development speed, quality and future readiness.

The Cloud HIL Centre is part of Suzuki’s global ‘SDV Right’ strategy for Electrical and Electronic (E/E) Virtual Development, which is set to play a foundational role in delivering continuous integration, faster release cycles and system reliability.

Katsuhiro Kato, Director and Executive Vice-President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said, “The Suzuki-Tata Elxsi Cloud HIL Centre is a new base that leverages Tata Elxsi's expertise and deep experience to build an advanced and efficient development system. We hope that Suzuki will promote virtualisation to realise minimisation of energy and contribute to the development of next-generation mobility significantly."

Manoj Raghavan, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Elxsi, said, “We thank Kato-san and Suzuki Motor Corporation for their continued trust. This new Cloud HIL Centre builds on the strong foundation of our Pune ODC and marks a forward leap in our SDV-focused collaboration. It reflects our shared vision for sustainable and smarter mobility.”

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L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has launched PLxAI, a new proprietary generative AI (GenAI) framework designed to accelerate and optimise the product development life cycle for its global clients. The framework, developed by the company's in-house experts, aims to streamline the process from initial concept to post-launch support.

PLxAI leverages both generative and conventional AI to offer a comprehensive solution for developing scalable and reusable solutions across the entire product development process. It is built with a versatile architecture that makes it adaptable for both embedded systems and software development.

A key feature of PLxAI is its ability to capture and utilise existing knowledge, including an organisation's internal or 'tribal' knowledge. This helps it provide context-aware insights that enhance product engineering. The framework also integrates smart prompting and contextual intelligence to improve every stage of the process, from initial design to final validation and aftermarket support.

LTTS has already deployed over 36 use cases of PLxAI, with an additional 35 in the design phase. These applications span various stages of product development, including:

• Concept Design: Assisting with competitive analysis and technology scouting.
• Component Design: Generating specifications, diagrams and calculations.
• Validation Planning: Automatically creating Design Validation Plans and DFMEA templates.
• Failure Mode Analysis: Generating customisable FMEA documents using organisational templates.
• Digital Twin Integration: Supporting both physical and virtual testing workflows.
• Agentic Workflows: Using proactive agents to automate multi-step engineering tasks.

Alind Saxena, President & Executive Director - Mobility & Tech, L&T Technology Services, said,“This is a proud milestone for Team LTTS. The development of PLxAI by our in-house AI experts is a testimony to LTTS’ engineering and technology capabilities. It reaffirms our deep commitment toward driving global client success across Mobility, Sustainability and Tech leveraging the power of AI and Gen-AI based offerings. The enthusiasm from our global clients has been remarkable, with deployments already underway across multiple domains.”

By accelerating innovation and optimising costs, LTTS believes that PLxAI will redefine how businesses approach product development, unlocking new avenues for growth and efficiency.

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Mahindra & Mahindra, one of the leading SUV manufacturers in the country, has announced that extended its partnership with Dolby Laboratories to equip Dolby Atmos audio, to its new XUV 3XO SUV.

This move will make XUV 3X0 REVX A variant, the most affordable SUV globally at INR 1.2 million, to feature the immersive audio technology.

For the unversed, Dolby Atmos was originally developed for cinemas, which features a multidimensional sound experience that places listeners directly within the audio, revealing details with unparalleled clarity and depth.

The Dolby Atmos system is now available in the REVX A, AX5L, AX7 and AX7L variants of the XUV 3XO. Each of these models will come equipped with a six-speaker audio layout that has been meticulously tuned to the vehicle’s unique cabin architecture. The top-tier AX7L variant will further enhance the experience with an additional subwoofer for deeper bass and a truly cinematic soundscape.

R Velusamy, President of Automotive Business (Designate), Mahindra & Mahindra, stated that the introduction of Dolby Atmos in the XUV 3XO, particularly at a sub-INR 1,2 million price point, ‘redefines in-cabin audio with immersive sound for a larger group of general consumers.’

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Helm.ai, an autonomous driving AI software company, has signed a multi-year joint development agreement with Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co., to accelerate development of Honda’s next-generation self-driving capabilities, including its Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) platform.

The partnership will leverage Helm.ai’s full stack real-time AI software and large-scale autlabeling & generative simulation foundation models for development and validation. Honda will utilise it on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for production consumer cars.

Helm.ai on its part will provide its full suite of products geared toward highway and urban autonomy, including its perception stack (Helm.ai Vision), vision-based real-time path prediction AI (Helm.ai Driver) and generative simulation models (VidGen-2, GenSim-1, GenSim-2 and WorldGen-1). The solution is powered by Helm.ai’s Deep Teaching technology, enabling real-time AI systems and offline foundation models pre-trained on large-scale, diverse, multi-modal datasets. This the company shared, can be further adapted to meet Honda’s specifications for safe, reliable and scalable deployment.

Honda’s NOA system utilises an end-to-end (E2E) AI architecture that controls everything from environmental perception to decision-making and vehicle actuation. It is designed as a partially automated system, which currently requires constant driver attention, supporting both highway and complex urban driving.

The Japanese automaker aims to scale this E2E technology across a broader vehicle lineup and is developing a system that highly assists in operating the accelerator and steering throughout the entire route to the destination, without distinction between regular roads and highways, with mass production targeted after 2027.

Mahito Shikama, Vice-President of Software Defined Vehicle Business Supervisory Unit at Honda Motor Co, said, “This joint development supports Honda’s goal of realising safe and affordable automated driving technologies for our global customers. Through our collaboration with Helm.ai, we are advancing the development of AI technologies that enhance the real-world applicability of autonomous driving systems, bringing us closer to a future with zero traffic collision fatalities.”

Vladislav Voroninski, CEO and Founder, Helm.ai, said, “We look forward to entering the next phase of production development with Honda, as they expand their in-house efforts to deploy cutting edge autonomous driving technologies in mass market vehicles. This joint development highlights our shared vision of enabling AI-powered mobility at scale.”

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