Franklin EV Gears Up For Nationwide Expansion, Plans To Reach 200 Showrooms By December 2023

Hyderabad: Franklin EV, a Hyderabad-based electric scooter manufacturer, has geared up for mega expansion across the country with plans to reach 200 showrooms by December 2023. 

"At present, we are exporting our models to Nepal, Bangladesh and also to Africa. We have plans to enter several other countries. Currently, we have 54 dealerships in four southern States. We are already in active discussions with 30 people for new franchises. 

Our target is to reach 200 showrooms mark and achieve sales of 3,000 units per month by the end of this year. To achieve this target, we have taken up Rs 50 crore expansion drive. Many investors are keen to invest in our company," said Dr Shashidhar Kumar, Founder, Franklin EV. He addressed the media conference along with co-founders Ranjith Kumar and Naveen Kumar.

Franklin EV, which started its sales in 2021, has a widespread presence  in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

 "At present, we have sales network across 30 cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Vijayawada. There are 14 showrooms in Hyderabad alone. We acquired more than 6,000 customers within two years of starting our sales, " said Naveen Kumar, co-founder, Franklin EV.

Dual battery electric scooter Koro : 
The company is selling  a revolutionary electric scooter, Koro, which comes equipped with dual batteries and has a range of 200 kilometres on a single charge. While Koro with dual batteries is priced at Rs 1.14 lakh, its variant with single battery comes at Rs 81,450. Koro has evoked huge response from customers. Franklin EV is the only company to manufacture duel battery model from south india.

"Apart from Koro, we have Power Plus and Nix Dlx in the market. By April this year, we will launch two more models which will come with a 100-kilometre range and will be priced between Rs 65,000 and Rs 75,000 after FAME-II subsidy. We are the only company in South India, which is making electric scooters under FAME-II subsidy," said Shashidhar.

The electric scooter maker offers service to customers at home and provides free spare parts service for 10 years.

Removable batteries : 
Depending on the model, Franklin EV uses 2.1-3 kilowatt lithium ion and lithium phosphate batteries. "We procure batteries from leading manufacturers such as New Energy Tech, EVE, and Molicell. The batteries come with certifications from ICAT-AIS 156, BIS, CE, ISO and ROHS. We are deploying removable batteries which can be separated from the vehicle for easy charging. 

The price range of our existing scooters starts at Rs 75,000 and goes up to Rs 82,000. Our scooters with a single battery can travel for 100-120 kilometers on a single charge. All models come with a warranty of two years on the motor, one year on the controller, three years on the battery and one year on the charger. We offer free service for two years," Dr Shasidhar, a pediatrician by profession, explained.

100% localisation, a first in South India : 
Franklin EV has a manufacturing unit at Cherlapally in Hyderabad. Spread over two acres, the plant has a capacity to produce 100 e-scooters per shift per day.

"Our two new models, to be launched in April, will entirely be manufactured with locally-made components.  Thus, we will become the first company in South India to manufacture electric scooters with 100 per cent localisation. With regard to our  Power Plus, Nix Dlx and Koro models, we achieved a  localisation of 70 per cent," said another co-founder Ranjith Kumar.

Customers can purchase Franklin EVs with loans from Kotak Mahindra, IDFC First Bank, Shriram Finance and Bajaj Finance. Zero down payment facility is also available, he explained.

Also Read: Jio Launches True 5g In Odisha