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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HARMAN, a leading automotive technology company and subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has unveiled an advanced in-vehicle display that elevates the driving experience with consumer-tech-level visuals. This cutting-edge display, set to debut in the all-new Tata Harrier.ev, represents the first automotive integration of Samsung’s proprietary Neo QLED technology, exclusively licensed and optimised by HARMAN for vehicle applications.

The new 14.53-inch floating Neo QLED display delivers stunning home-theatre-quality visuals with vibrant colours, deep contrast and enhanced brightness, all powered by intelligent algorithms and a sleek, modern design. Engineered to perform flawlessly in all lighting conditions, the display incorporates HARMAN’s proprietary real-time visual control technology, which dynamically adjusts image output to optimize power efficiency. Among its key innovations are the industry’s first cadmium-free Quantum Dot display with intelligent Blue Mini-LED control, 1200-nit peak brightness, true black levels and an expansive 95 percent NTSC colour gamut. The ultra-slim design, featuring bezels under five mm, ensures a seamless and sophisticated aesthetic.

This breakthrough builds on HARMAN’s longstanding partnership with Tata Motors, which began with the integration of JBL audio systems in Tata vehicles across India. With the Harrier.ev, the collaboration now extends to premium branded displays, reinforcing both companies’ commitment to innovation and superior in-car experiences.

Shilpa Dely, Vice President – Displays, HARMAN, said, “We’ve brought together Samsung’s cutting-edge consumer display innovation and HARMAN’s deep automotive expertise to create something truly unique: a first-of-its-kind, in-vehicle visual experience that brings living room TV-level brilliance to the road. We have finally closed the gap between consumer and automotive display technology – and we’re proud to debut this global breakthrough with our trusted partners at Tata Motors.”

Anand Kulkarni, Chief Products Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Limited, said, “We’re committed to delivering world-class technology to Indian consumers. Together with HARMAN, we're bringing the best of consumer display innovation in India’s most capable SUV, the recently launched Harrier.ev, transforming it into a true third living space after home and office. This collaboration sets a new standard for in-cabin experiences – not just in India, but around the world.”

Sanjeev Kulkarni, Vice President – Sales, HARMAN, said, “Our partnership with Tata Motors spans more than a decade and is built on a like-minded approach to innovation, along with a joint promise to deliver the very best in-cabin experiences to our customers,”. “From JBL premium audio to advanced intelligent cockpit solutions, HARMAN is a defining part of the Tata driving experience. With the introduction of our new display product, we’re proud to take that collaboration even further.”

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Chinese-owned Swedish automotive major Volvo Cars has unveiled a new multi-adaptive safety belt, which it claims is a world-first technology aimed to further enhance safety for everyone in real-world traffic situations. The multi-adaptive safety belt is set to debut in Volvo EX60 in 2026, the company’s fully electric offering. It uses real-time data from the cars advanced sensors to adapt to traffic variations and the user wearing the seatbelt.

Based on the data input from interior and exterior sensors the seatbelt provides customised protection, adapting the setting based on the situation and individual’s profiles, such as their height, weight, body shape and seating position. For example, a larger occupant in a serious crash will receive a higher belt load setting to help reduce the risk of head injury. While a smaller occupant in a milder crash will receive a lower belt load setting to reduce the risk of rib fractures. Using over-the-air software updates, it gets better over time.

Asa Haglund, Head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said, “The world's first multi-adaptive safety belt is another milestone for automotive safety and a great example of how we leverage real-time data with the ambition to help save millions of more lives. This marks a major upgrade to the modern three-point safety belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959, estimated to have saved over a million lives.”

The Swedish carmaker stated that modern safety belts use load limiters to control how much force the safety belt applies on the human body during a crash. This new safety belt expands the load-limiting profiles from three to 11 and increases the possible number of settings, enabling it to optimise performance for each situation and individual. Unlike traditional systems, the new multi-adaptive safety belt can utilise data from different sensors, including exterior, interior and crash sensors. In less than a blink of an eye, the car’s system analyses the unique characteristics of a crash – such as direction, speed and passenger posture – and shares that information with the safety belt. Based on this data, the system selects the most appropriate setting.

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Carraro Group’s leadership – including Ettore Francesco Sequi, Chairman of Carraro India, and Tomaso Carraro, Vice Chairman of Carraro Group and Carraro India – had a meeting with Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Sarraju Rao in Milan, Italy, underscoring the deepening industrial collaboration between Italy and India, particularly in the off-highway, agriculture and construction equipment sectors.

The discussions reaffirmed Carraro Group’s long-standing commitment to India, which began in 1997. Under the motto ‘Think & Make in India’, the company has focused on developing localised solutions for the Indian market, including advanced 4WD drivetrain systems that enhance agricultural productivity and farm mechanisation. These technologies play a crucial role in supporting food security by improving efficiency for farmers, enabling higher yields and addressing global demand for sustainable food production.

Carraro India has set an ambitious growth target, aiming to increase its turnover from the current EUR 200 million to EUR 350 million by the fiscal year 2028-29. To achieve this, the company plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Pune, reinforcing its production capabilities and strengthening its supply chain within India. This expansion aligns with India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, promoting local manufacturing and job creation while catering to both domestic and international markets.

The engagement highlights India’s growing appeal as a manufacturing and investment destination for European companies, particularly in the agricultural and construction machinery sectors. It also reflects the broader economic and technological partnership between India and Italy, fostering innovation, skill development and industrial growth.

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German automotive technology giant Continental has developed a new sensor technology that is said to significantly enhance the efficiency and sustainability of electric vehicle (EV) motors.

For the first time, their new e-Motor Rotor Temperature Sensor (eRTS) directly measures the temperature inside permanently excited synchronous motors on the rotor itself.

This innovative approach delivers substantially more precise measurement results than current software-based temperature simulations, drastically reducing the tolerance range from 15deg Celsius to a mere 3deg Celsius. The enhanced accuracy offers a dual benefit for vehicle manufacturers: it enables them to reduce the reliance on costly rare earth elements used to boost magnet heat resistance and simultaneously improve potential motor performance. This, in turn, paves the way for greater sustainability in EV production.

The eRTS is a key development from Continental's E-Mobility Sensors (EMS) product centre, which is dedicated to creating advanced sensor technologies for electric vehicles.

Bin Huo, Head of Passive Safety and Sensorics (PSS) segment, Continental, said, "With less resource consumption and lower costs, eRTS sensor technology is advantageous over current solutions. This innovation shows that investing resources and focusing expertise in our product centre was absolutely the right decision. We will continue to successively expand our EV sensor portfolio."

Higher Measuring Accuracy

The eRTS system comprises two distinct components: a wireless mote temperature sensor unit positioned close to the magnet within the EV motor and a wired transducer element situated outside the motor, connected to the inverter control.

Rotors operate under extreme conditions, with temperatures potentially reaching up to 150deg Celsius. Consequently, precise monitoring and control of heat development in EV motors are paramount. Presently, heat development is not measured directly but is instead calculated based on data from the stator temperature sensor, phase current measurements and environmental variables. This indirect method results in a tolerance range of up to 15deg Celsius. To safeguard magnets from demagnetisation due to excessive heat, expensive rare earth elements are typically used to cover this entire tolerance range and ensure sufficient heat resistance.

The significantly greater measuring accuracy of the eRTS, which reduces the tolerance range to just 3deg Celsius, presents car manufacturers with new design possibilities and freedom in permanent magnet synchronous EV motors.

A considerable proportion of costly rare earth materials, which would otherwise be required to account for the wider tolerance range for safety reasons, can now be saved. Furthermore, the improved accuracy offers the intriguing prospect of enhancing motor performance by pushing the operational limits closer to the actual temperature threshold.

Christoph Busch, Lead – Product Centre, Continental, said, "Our E-Mobility Sensors product centre aims to increase efficiency and sustainability in electric vehicles. The eRTS technology is a prime example of this: reducing the use of rare earths contributes to a more sustainable supply chain, especially given that the number of EVs is expected to greatly increase in the coming years and decades. In combination with other sensor technologies, such as the e-Motor Rotor Position Sensor, it can even act as a system solution to create synergies that can save car manufacturers money and effort."

Ultrasound Technology

The eRTS's two components, the mote element and the transducer element, work in tandem. The mote temperature sensor unit measures the temperature directly at the target area, as close as possible to the magnet. Crucially, the wireless mote draws its energy solely from the wired transducer, which is connected to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and simultaneously provides the transducer with its measuring data. The transducer is located outside the EV motor on the chassis and transmits temperature information to the inverter control via a communication interface. Both the mote and transducer communicate using Piezo ultrasound, which also facilitates the energy supply to the mote.

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