Kshitij Kumar, Co-Founder of Gemopai Electric, on the Miso & future plans

We caught up with the co-founder of Gemopai Electric, Kshitij Kumar, to speak about the Miso and upcoming electric scooters from the brand. Launched in 2018, Gemopai Electric is a JV between Delhi-based Goreen E-Mobility and China-based Opai Electric which claims to have 15+ years of experience in manufacturing electric two-wheelers and sales of more than 15 million electric two-wheelers globally. 

Miso has just come out. Can you give us an idea about the response that this vehicle has received in the market?

Considering nowadays people would want something that is individual to transit to office and back; and we have targeted that little bit towards delivery. The response has been very good. We started the operations of the factory only 15 days back and right now, and we wouldn’t be able to share the numbers.

Based on the initial response, who are the kind of customers that are opting for the Miso?

Our vehicles are utility-based, so we don’t target our vehicles for a particular segment. It is targeted at anybody who wants to commute locally like going to the market, tuitions and delivery services like milk and newspaper.

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During the COVID-19 lockdown we heard from other EV manufacturers that sales have boomed. What is your company’s experience in the last three months?

The numbers at the dealer’s end have definitely picked up, and there’s a slight sense of how the environment could be better with the electric vehicles. That has happened, but I don’t know if I can attribute this to vehicular demand or to people wanting to change to electric. That will be known once we study the coming months, but definitely, the demand post-COVID is better than pre-COVID.

Are you looking to introduce any other variants going forward or new features?

We are currently in Rs 40,000-50,000 and 80,000 range. Currently, we are planning models (scooter) which are in the Rs 60,000-70,000 range, and we might come up with something which is in the 30,000 range also. Our strategy is different; we don’t do Lead Acid Batteries. So we have two products in this segment and one very high-end vehicle for enthusiasts in the pipeline. As far as the electric bike (motorcycle) is concerned, it would be in the Rs 1.5 lakh segment. The performance is secondary, and the range is primary to the end customer. So if we have to get the range, the price goes much higher. So we have a product in the pipeline for that also, and currently, the R&D is going on for that. That will take a little bit of time, and right now, we are looking at the Rs 60-70,000 range to complete the portfolio.

Gemopai has its presence in Nepal. What are the plans for export to other regions?

We are looking at SAARC countries and Africa. It takes a longer time because we need to have the sales synergy with the local persons. We have that synergy developed in Nepal, and we are trying to develop it in other regions.

Are you looking to immediately send Miso to Nepal as well, considering its market is similar to India?

Definitely, I would want it to go everywhere. Rather than burning fuel at the cost that it is today, according to your ride and utility, you can take an electric vehicle which is reliable. We are offering three years of service and warranty which is included in the price.

What are your retail expansion plans for 2020?

We have around 64 dealers across India. We had a single product, and from the dealers’ point of view, they wanted multiple products to be profitable. Now we’ve got a new entry-level vehicle onboard, and the expansion will be much quicker. We are almost pan-India, and we are looking at around 250 dealerships this financial year.