Okinawa to roll out locally manufactured e-bike Oki100 this year

Electric two wheeler manufacturer Okinawa is expected to launch a ‘Made-in-India’ product, called Oki100, in the third quarter of the financial year 2020-2021. 

All components of the e-bike, except the battery cells, will be manufactured in India, the Gurugram-based company said. 

“We welcome prime minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Vocal for Local’. Currently, Okinawa offers the maximum localisation of electric vehicles, which is 88%. With our upcoming electric bike, we are taking the localisation level up to 100%. All components of the electric motorcycle will be manufactured and sourced from local suppliers. We expect this to boost local suppliers’ domain and inspire all the EV startups to go ‘Vocal for Local’ too,” managing director Jeetender Sharma said.

Oki100, which has a lithium-ion battery base, will clock a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour, the company said. A prototype of the e-bike was first unveiled at the Auto Expo 2018.

Watch: Jeetender Sharma on how Okinawa aims to win in the Indian EV market

Set up in 2015 by Jeetender Sharma and Rupali Sharma, Okinawa manufactures and sells electric motorcycles such as Lite, Ridge and Raise. The vehicles are equipped with detachable lithium batteries, which can be charged anywhere. The company has a manufacturing facility in Rajasthan.

Currently, Okinawa has a sales network of over 350 dealerships across the country.

Earlier this month, the firm restarted its manufacturing operations with 25% of its total workforce at the corporate office and its manufacturing unit. The development came a month after it temporarily ceased on-premises activity due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

In April, the company increased dealer margins from 8% to 11% to help dealers cope with losses during the Covid-19 lockdown.