Piaggio bets big on new Apé Electrik FX range

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (PVPL), a 100% subsidiary of the Italian Piaggio Group and a leading manufacturer of small commercial vehicles, has launched its FX range (fixed battery) of electric vehicles in both the cargo and passenger segments.

Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., at the FX Electrik launch event

The new Apé E-Xtra FX is the most powerful electric cargo vehicle in the segment with 9.5 Kw power output. It comes with a proven full metal body architecture fitted with a useful 6 ft cargo deck length. It is also customizable for applications like the delivery van, garbage collector, etc.

The passenger vehicle, Apé E-City FX is one of the most profitable 3-wheelers in the country with its superior features and comfortable ride promising higher number of trips and best-in-class earnings.

Both the products come equipped with top-of-the-range features like blue vision headlamps, automatic transmission, hill hold assist, regenerative braking, dual tone seats, striking body colours and graphics, multi- information instrument cluster, boost mode, etc. The FX fixed battery range offers convenient home and office charging features.

Speaking at the launch event, Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, PVPL, said: “Apé, a brand with a trust of more than 30 lac happy customers is paving the way for the Indian electric revolution with the FX range of electric vehicles. The Piaggio Group has a rich heritage of developing electric technology over the last four decades which we have leveraged to develop these class leading products for India. Post the launch of Apé E-City with Swappable technology in 2019, we are now introducing the Fixed Battery technology solutions to serve the varied needs of customers. This new FX range is a step in realizing Piaggio’s vision which aligns with the government’s initiatives for mass adoption of EVs in India.”

Saju Nair, EVP and Head of Commercial Vehicle Business, Piaggio India, said: “We are launching the FX range after a detailed study covering the industry trends, customer aspirations and segment requirements. The FX range will cater to the needs of our customers, protect the environment and truly revolutionize the industry with the concept of ‘Apé goes Electric, India goes Electric’.”

The Apé E-Xtra FX is the most powerful and versatile cargo vehicle available in India today. It will cater well to a multitude of segments like e-commerce, gas cylinders, mineral water bottles, FMCG, vegetables, garbage collection and a host of others. With a running cost of less than 50 paise, the company claims it to be the most economical mode of last mile goods movement.

Diego Graffi flanked by Malind Kapur, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Product Marketing, Channel & Business Development, Piaggio Vehicles, (left), and Saju Nair, EVP and Head of Commercial Vehicle Business, Piaggio India Pvt. Ltd., along with the new vehicles

The Apé E-City passenger carrier is the epitome of comfort for last mile people transportation with extremely low NVH levels. The company is confident of revolutionizing transportation in all major cities with its extremely low cost of operations.

“We are offering unique service solutions to ensure confidence and peace of mind for our customers. The vehicles are covered with a 3 year / 1 lakh kilometer “Super warranty”, in addition to which we are offering a 3-year free maintenance package as an introductory offer to all our customers. The Piaggio I-Connect telematics solution offers real time vehicle data tracking for our customers and for PVPL service initiatives”, added Nair.

Malind Kapur, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Product Marketing, Channel & Business Development, Piaggio Vehicles, said: “The Piaggio Apé Electrik FX range launch is a part of our strategic initiative to provide customers with unique solutions & a wider range to choose from based on specific applications. We are offering the Apé E-Xtra with a 6-feet cargo deck and a delivery van option for customized applications. The zero emission, low NVH, superior drive & ride comfort makes it the logical choice for last mile transport of modern Indian cities & towns grappling with rising levels of vehicular pollution. With the launch of Apé Electrik FX range we have truly positioned ourselves as a fuel agnostic player in India offering vehicles in Diesel, CNG, LPG, Petrol & Electric. We are committed to offer a differentiated buying experience by launching new Ape’ Electrik Experience centres across India.”

The Apé Electrik FX range is eligible for the FAME II subsidy and various other benefits related to the registration process. The Apé E-Xtra FX comes with an introductory ex-showroom price of Rs. 3,12,137* and the Apé E-City FX comes with an introductory ex-showroom price of Rs. 2,83,878* post the FAME II subsidy benefit.

*Note: These prices are for Rest of India excluding Kerala.