Bajaj has come out with the Riki, an L3 category electric 3-wheeler, designed to challenge the horde of E Rickshaws in India. The price is considerably higher than the competition though, at ₹1.91 lakh ex-showroom compared to generic vehicles which start as low as ₹1.0 lakh and top out at around ₹1.5 lakh. Bajaj is confident that they will be able to pull customers in through a better user and urban experience. They have made the Riki different in certain key areas thus, let us go over those one by one.
The first issue is the battery — while the generic L3 vehicles use lead-acid batteries, the Riki comes with a 5.4kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. This resolves two issues – range and charging time. Generic vehicles have a range of roughly 80-110km, while the Riki has a claimed range of 149km. Also, generic vehicles usually require overnight charging, but the Riki takes only four hours. This also ensures maintenance-free operation during the life cycle of the battery, unlike lead-acid batteries which require frequent fluid top-ups.
Next is the ride, handling and braking, and Bajaj has given the Riki independent rear suspension with coil springs as opposed to the rigid axle with leaf springs found elsewhere in the market. Also, the Riki boasts hydraulic disc brakes and not mechanical ones most L3 E Rickshaws ship with.
Finally, Bajaj has resolved the cramped seating problem with clever packaging and has been able to offer on average 10 percent better legroom for the passengers, and this theme continues with the cargo model as well, which offers roughly 20 percent extra carrying capacity at a minimum. It even packs in a longer range of 164km, and priced at ₹2.01 lakh ex-showroom.
