Biliti Electric Inc is teaming up with Hyderabad-headquartered Gayam Motor Works (GMW) to set up the world’s largest electric three-wheeler production facility with a capacity of 240,000 vehicles a year, involving an investment of $150 million (approximately Rs 1,144 crore) in Telangana.
The 200-acre manufacturing plant will be set up on 200 acres. It will be operated in two phases. This would make it the largest investment in electric vehicle manufacturing in Telangana. According to the company, the first phase, with 18,000 vehicles per year, will begin in early 2023 and reach a capacity of 240,000 vehicles by the end of 2024.
Biliti’s famous last-mile delivery vehicle Taskman, which is used in 15 countries around the world, includes the USA, France, Portugal and Germany.
Taskman is used by large e-commerce companies like Amazon, IKEA and BigBasket (Tata), Zomato and Flipkart (Walmart), among others. However, Taskman, a California-based auto manufacturer, currently has manufacturing and assembly plants in the US and Portugal.
Biliti stated that it is unique in the market for its core technological innovations. The SmartSwaap technology allows vehicle batteries to be swapped in under a minute. This overcomes the challenges of a lack of charging infrastructure and unreliable electric grid. It also reduces the time and pressure on delivery drivers.
Rahul Gayam, chief executive officer at Biliti Electric, stated that “our batteries and drivetrain are small and modular in design. This allows them to have greater applications in auto and marine warehousing and backup power sectors, enabling the buildout an EV ecosystem.”
Telangana’s industries minister KT Rama Raio stated that Biliti’s investment is close to the announcement of Fisker, a California-based company, which has its second headquarters in Hyderabad. Rao stated that “The State is committed towards promoting clean industries” and promised to provide all benefits to the company as per the government’s policy. Rao also said that Biliti’s founders were part of Telangana government. They had previously led innovation intermediary T-Hub and business incubator T-Hub.
