Deliveries of Strom R3 are set to commence in early 2022 with a limited production run
Strom Motors, a Mumbai-based electric vehicle startup, commenced pre-bookings for its maiden product, the R3 personal 3-wheeled electric car. Set to have a limited production run, the quirky Strom R3 has already garnered orders worth USD 1 million (~Rs 7.5 crores) in just four days.
Strom R3 – Order books open
Pre-orders of the Strom R3 will be open for a few more weeks. It is to be noted that the company neither revealed the number of bookings nor the price of the vehicle. Customers can order one for INR 10,000.
It is unclear on what basis the company arrived at the USD 1 million figure – based on the booking amount alone or on the full vehicle price which is estimated to be INR 4.5 lakh. It is most likely the latter, considering that the pre-orders are only available for Mumbai and Delhi as of now.
Overview
The Strom R3 is an unconventional urban runabout with compact footprint and a single rear wheel. The two-door two-seater electric vehicle is aimed at working professionals, families and fleet operators for journeys that are 10 km or less. The made-in-India mini EV is comparable to a quadricycle in terms of size and looks like a micro car when viewed from front.
When viewed from the side, there is nothing conventional about the R3. The profile lines are angular and the single rear wheel makes for a curvy rear fascia.
The compact cabin seats two people and the car-like dashboard gets triple touchscreen interface. Things should be comfortable enough during short urban commutes. The driver seat is 12-way adjustable and both seats are equipped with 3-point seat belts.
Feature highlights include power windows, AC, voice and gesture controls, smartphone connectivity, audio system with 20 gb storage, turn-by-turn navigation, and 4G connectivity with vehicle health monitoring (SOC, brake pads, motor and power electronic status, etc). In the future, the company proposes to add automatic vehicle following system and park assist to the equipment package.
Powertrain
Powering the little three-wheeled electric car is a 15 kW AC induction motor which generates a healthy 90 Nm of torque. Transmission system involves a single reduction gear. Three drive modes are on offer namely Eco, Normal and Sports. The regenerative braking also has three modes – aggressive, normal, off.
The vehicle is equipped with a 48 v lithium-ion battery (kWh unspecified) which claimed to last for over 1,00,000 km. It can be charged in 3 hours and is claimed to offer a maximum range of 200 km, representing a running cost as low as INR 0.40 per km. Top speed is electronically limited to 80 km.
The vehicle tips the sales at 550 kg. As far as storage space is concerned, the Strom R3 has a 300 liters of boot space at the rear in addition to a 100 liter compartment at the front.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
