Bounce Gets Approval For Electric Scooter, Test Ride Begins Saturday

Bengaluru-based bike-sharing platform Bounce has received all the required approvals for its retro fit electric scooter, the company’s cofounder and CEO Vivekananda HR announced on Twitter today (November 26). The company has invited its users living in Bengaluru for test rides of the electric scooter. The interested customers can fill out a form to ride.

Inc42 has reached out to Bounce and Vivekananda to seek more details about the EV model

The latest announcement comes two months after Bounce received homologation certification from International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) for its self-assembled two-wheeler electric vehicles (EV).

The homologation certification process approves every part of the vehicles including components like lamps, mirrors, tires and more. The process is applicable on all types of vehicles including EV and fuel-run internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles.  The certification process also has stringent checks for even the braking mechanism and other electronic fittings.

Even other startups like Ather Energy, Revolt, Okinawa, Tork Motors and others have received the certifications for their electric two-wheelers in the past. However, Bounce is the only consumer-focused bike-sharing platform to receive the crucial certification in India.

The EV in talks is entirely assembled by Bounce, and it designated a separate team of engineers to create this electric-scooter. The company will soon require a manufacturing unit or partners to help scale up the production processes and offer these EVs on a subscription pricing model as well as on a long-term rental basis. In parallel, it will also work with delivery and ecommerce companies to supply scooters for last-mile use.

The company was founded in 2014 by Vivekananda, Varun Agni, and Anil G. It has raised about $214.2 Mn from marquee investors like InnoVen Capital, Accel India, B Capital, Navi Technologies, Chiratae Ventures and more.

Before the lockdown, Bounce was catering to nearly 1.30 Lakh rides daily, but the number had dropped to 15K rides. This is when the company decided to lay more focus on branching out of its bike-sharing business to subscription-based model and logistics partners.

This story is developing and will be updated with more information in real-time. Do check back for an update soon.

Correction: November 27, 2020 | 5:45 PM

The article previously mentioned that Bounce received the certification for its self-assembled electric scooters.