Walton launches affordable e-bike

Walton Digi-Tech Industries Limited has launched a new affordable model of electric bike TAKYON Leo in the market recently.

The eco-friendly e-bike that comes in three variants can run for 40-80 kilometres on a single charge, according to a statement issued by the company.

It will take six-eight hours to charge up the battery and this bike will cost consumers only Tk0.10 per km, reads the statement.

The three variants with 12 AH, 20AH, and 23 AH battery packs are priced at Tk49,850, Tk56,850 and Tk59,850, respectively.

Unlike its first model TAKYON 1.00 e-bike that came with a price tag of Tk1,27,750 a few months ago, TAKYON Leo will not need any registration with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) as the policy waived e-bikes having a paddle option from the registration.

Walton e-bike is the first-ever in the segment in Bangladesh that has received such approval from the BRTA, said the company.

Each of the four e-bikes can be charged at home as their portable chargers are made to be used in 220-volt power lines.

The company offers one-year and two-year warranties for the Leo bikes, depending on the variants.  

ICT Division Director General Md Mostafa Kamal was present at the TAKYON Leo e-bike launching ceremony that took place recently at Walton Headquarters in Chandra of Gazipur.

Walton Digi-Tech's Additional Managing Director Engineer Liakat Ali, Walton Hi-Tech's Deputy Managing Director Alamgir Alam Sarkar, Senior Executive Director Easir Al-Imran and Walton Digi-Tech's Chief Business Officer Touhidur Rahman Raad, among others, attended the function.

A bigger plan

The global automobile and two-wheeler industry is rapidly going electric amid the ongoing calls to go green and the global fuel shock in 2022 only expedited it.

The global market of electric vehicles is estimated to reach about $92 billion within 2028, from $40 billion in 2021.

In Bangladesh, electric vehicles are yet to be in the mass market.

However, the demand already started to grow with the increasing supply. Walton Digi-Tech has long been working on electric vehicles, said the company's Additional Managing Director Liakat Ali.

Currently, the company is locally assembling the Leo models and it is preparing for full-fledged manufacturing in the coming days, Liakat Ali told The Business Standard recently.

Walton Group is intensively working on building the EV ecosystem in the country and it has a detailed plan to set up charging stations and other infrastructure for EVs, he said, adding that the company also has plans to launch electric cars in future.

Akij, Green Tiger, Runner and a few others have been marketing e-bikes in the country while Baagh Eco Motors and Palki Motors are respectively working on electric three-wheelers and cars.

"We are facing some challenges as this sector is fully new in the country. To overcome them, we need more assistance from the government including suitable policies for the production and import of raw materials, related parts and components, Liakat Ali added.