GoGoA1, an EV retrofit kit provider, plans to launch retrofitment kits across vehicle segments by 2023. Starting September 2022, the company plans to bring out a retrofitment kit for scooters with 10-inch wheels, Srikant Shinde, CEO and Founder, GoGoA1, said during an interaction with Mobility Outlook.
Shinde noted that the scooter retrofitment kit priced at INR 20,000 will include a 1kW motor with a motor controller and a 3kWh 72V 40Ah lithium-ion battery pack. With this kit, the two-wheeler will provide a range of 120 kms, GoGoA1 claimed.
The company plans to submit the L-5 3W retrofitment kit to ARAI for certification within October 2022 and launch the kit on January 26, 2023, at INR 50,000. It will include the same setup as the motorcycle kit with a 2kW motor; however, the interesting bit with the 3W kit is the multi-speed gearbox. The founder said that by using the multi-speed gearbox, the company provided the same level of performance as other 3W EVs with a 5kW motor.
Additionally, GoGoA1 also plans to bring out a retro fitment kit for 1,000cc four-wheelers on August 15, 2023. For the 4W kit, the company plans six motor setup and four battery packs while retaining the original multi-speed gearbox. The idea is to keep the existing structure of the vehicle and replace the engine with motors, Shinde explained. The kit is expected to be priced around INR 2 lakh and will provide a range of 100 kms on a single charge, he claimed.
Interestingly, all the kits will have swappable battery technology, including the four-wheeler, the CEO said. The company aims to sell around 10,000 units of its kits, which includes 8,000 units of 2Ws retrofitment kits across both the segments and 2,000 units for the 3W segment by December 2023.
To achieve this, Shinde added that the company is currently buying a few ICE 2Ws and retrofitting them with the kits only to resale the vehicles or to lease them to fleet operators.
GoGoA1’s EV Campus
The founder noted that around 70% of the components used in the kits are produced locally at its plant in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, having a capacity of 2,000 units annually. With rising demand, he added that GoGoA1 aims to produce one lakh units per year by the end of 2025, which it intends to do by expanding the existing plant’s infrastructure.
Aside from the factory, the EV campus houses the company’s R&D centre and a training centre for engineers to learn about EVs, EV retrofitting, and business operations.
Shinde stated that GoGoA1 has partnered with several colleges to provide engineering training and with Government bodies to provide faculty for the training centres. The company claims to have over 60 training centres across India through a partnership with various institutions while also having its main training centre in Ahmednagar and another coming up in Navi Mumbai.
From Hoverboard To Retrofitment Kits
Beginning in 2011 as a supplier of EV components to engineering colleges for EV development projects, the company shifted to the retail business by producing self-levelling products such as hoverboards in 2015. Shinde added that by 2016 the company moved to China with its factory to produce these hoverboards and supply them to China’s domestic and international markets.
In the meantime, the company also started working on EV motors and tested it in the China market as it was developing over there, the founder noted. After testing the components, the company again moved back to India in 2019 and started with the certification of its retrofitment kits.
In September 2021, the company launched its debutante conversion kit for Hero Splendor. Although launched for the Splendor, the founder noted that the kit could be used in any motorcycle with a wheel size of 18-inch.
Priced at INR 37,000 the bike retro fitment kit comes with a 2kW motor with motor controller and 3kWh 72V 40Ah lithium-ion battery pack providing a claimed range of 170 kms.
Currently, GoGoA1 has conversion centres in Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kerala, Delhi, Odisha, four centres in Gujrat and three centres in Rajasthan. The company plans to add one in Mumbai and Jharkhand in the next two months. The founder noted that by 2030 the company aims to have a conversion centre across the country in each district.
Meanwhile, the company has also started expanding to international markets, starting with Africa and Nepal. In addition, GoGoA1 plans to enter the Indonesian market within the next year while also aiming to enter the Thailand, Sri Lanka, Dubai and Iran market, the CEO concluded.