Hyderabad based Gear Head Motors ushers in EV revolution

Hyderabad: Having started his journey with a zeal for doing his bit for the environment, Nikhil Gunda along with his senior in the college, Meher Sai thought of bringing their expertise in mechanical engineering to use with their new startup called Gear Head Motors. With a motive of coaxing the vehicle segment into electrical, the young duo began by retrofitting vehicles into EV and slowly ventured into manufacturing e-bikes.

Unlike several other EV startups and companies, Gear Head Motors looks beyond assembling the parts imported from countries by designing over 70 per cent of its components themselves.

“When the pandemic struck there was a ban on products from China and that is when we came up with indigenous solutions to reduce our dependency on the neighbouring country. We began developing our in-house products like battery boxes, battery management system (BMS), motor and control parts, etc, to meet the rising demand of e-bicycles,” Nikhil shares.

Giving more details about the e-bicycles, Nikhil shares, “These bicycles have a sensor near the pedal that senses the amount of torque required to move smoothly. For example, if one is cycling up the steep, the sensor reads the amount of pressure required and then sends adequate power to the motor that helps the rider cruise up the hill smoothly. Apart from the physical mode, the bicycles also have a cruise mode that can be used like a scooty.”

The USP of these e-cycles is their detachable batteries. “Our smallest battery comes in the size of a 500 ml water bottle. One can simply detach the battery, carry it home, charge and attach it back when in use, just like a smartphone,” shares the 23-year-old engineer. A Bluetooth app helps in tracking the charge of the battery, speed and the exact kilometres that can be covered with the charge left.

As the dependency on import has been cut down, the pricing of these e-bicycles are quite lesser in comparison to the rest in the market, says Nikhil sharing that the basic model with a battery range of 50 km on a single charge is available at Rs 18,999. While the other models with a battery range of 70 km and 100 km per charge are priced at Rs 28,999 and Rs 33,999 respectively.

Tricycles

The duo has been working with Telangana government to provide e-tricycles for those with special needs.

“IT Minister KT Rama Rao is determined in making Telangana a sustainable State and has been a really good help for us since the beginning. The Telangana Vikalangula Co-operation was giving tricycles to beneficiaries but it was tough for those with special needs to ride a tricycle. Thus we came up with an electric alternative,” Nikhil says. The startup has given over 50 cycles to those with special needs in collaboration with Telugu Association of North America (TANA) as a CSR.

Retrofitting autos into EV

The startup is now majorly focused on retrofitting fuel-driven three-wheelers into electric vehicles. “These autos are major pollution creators on the road and thus we saw the calling need for retrofitting these vehicles. An auto can be converted into EV within two hours so the driver doesn’t have to waste much of his earning time in the garage,” Nikhil shares.

The pricing for the conversion is Rs 30,000 down payment plus Rs 4,000 EMI for 24 months. An auto can save an average amount of Rs 10,000 every month spent on fuel and maintenance if converted to electric. To get your vehicle switched to electric, just ‘Say Hi’ to switch@ghmev.com.

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