Photography: Siddhant Gadekar
In the post-COVID world, most of us have gotten into the habit of getting necessities delivered to our homes and offices. Gone are the days of going out to shops or malls or even restaurants, and people instead prefer to receive all possible products and commodities from the comfort of their own homes. However, most of the last-mile delivery vehicles in India are through three-wheelers that do not offer much protection to the driver. There is also the question of pollution which collectively comes to quite a lot. The Croyance ELECRO J.06 then has the same compact dimensions of a three-wheeler but promises safety and a minimal carbon footprint and that’s beside having extremely low running costs. So are electric vehicles like the ELECRO J.06 a viable alternative to ICE three-wheelers?
Walking up to the vehicle, my first thought is that it looks unlike anything I have ever seen on the road, which doesn’t happen often. The length is slightly more than your average three-wheeled cargo vehicle, but the width is narrow. The Croyance is narrower than your average three-wheeler cargo vehicle, and certainly smaller than anything else on four wheels. Coupled with a centrally-mounted steering, and positioning of the wheels, its appearance is positively futuristic. This feeling is accentuated by the sharply raked windshield. The flared fenders and the aggressive-looking lighting fixtures add to the road presence of this tiny truck.
“THE CROYANCE IS NARROWER THAN YOUR AVERAGE THREE-WHEELER CARGO VEHICLE, AND CERTAINLY SMALLER THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON FOUR WHEELS”
There are two doors, but just one seat and this means getting in and out of the vehicle is extremely easy. The doors are large and open wide, and there is ample space for my near 6 feet frame. A shorter person will find the interiors extremely spacious, and it feels very airy thanks to the large windows. The steering wheel is within easy reach as well, however, the paddles are placed a bit too far to one side, and takes some getting used to.
There’s a seatbelt for the driver, which is anchored on the seat itself. Considering the truck is designed for last-mile deliveries, more focus is towards the ease of getting in and out of the vehicle than long-distance comfort. The cargo area is located at a reasonable height, which would make accessing the cargo easy for the delivery personnel, regardless of their height. Adding to the practicality, the cargo area can be specified with the doors on any of the three different sides, or wing-style openings for large-sized cargo, or even a classic pickup-style bed.
The Croyance comes with a rotary-style drive selector switch which lets you choose between forward, reverse and neutral. To engage drive via the push-button switch on the dashboard, one must first unlock it using the remote key fob, as there is no proximity unlock, which increases the security of operation of the vehicle in rougher neighbourhoods. The electronic screen is basic but has a robust build and also turns into the display for the reversing camera. The only issue is the brightness, which felt a bit too dim on a bright, overcast day. Also, the bright red hazard lamp switch casts a reflection on the screen which is distracting during driving, and renders the screen rather difficult to use in reversing camera mode. There is a provision for playing music from a phone via Bluetooth, and there are two USB-A type charging ports, with different charging amperage.
The 60V 6.8PS (5kW) AC motor provides instant response, which is amplified by the low kerb weight of 570kg. The peppy acceleration though is bound to taper once the truck is loaded up to its maximum payload capacity of 600kg (hence the name J.06). Let that sink in for a moment – the Croyance has a payload capacity which is more than the kerb weight of the vehicle. The torque of an electric motor is what enables the ELECRO to achieve this carrying capacity. The top speed is electronically limited to 52kmph, which should be enough speed for a vehicle of this type. That said, it gets up to 40kmph rather quickly.
The steering is not power-assisted, but thanks to the small 12-inch alloy wheels and narrow tyres (135-section on the front and 145-section on the rear), it feels light to use. What could do with power assistance, though, are the brakes, as they require a rather hefty shove to bring speeds down, even from as low as 35kmph. The ELECRO takes corners rather well, thanks to the unfiltered feedback from the unassisted steering, and while the ride is bouncy, our test vehicle was unloaded, so I believe like any cargo vehicle, the ride will improve massively once the vehicle is loaded up.
Croyance claims a minimum range of 150km on a single charge from the 206Ah lithium ferro-phosphate battery, and the charging time is 4 to 5 hours on a regular 15A home socket. This means the vehicle can be used in multiple shifts throughout the day depending on the timings. The marque says the battery is good for 2,000 charging cycles and can work in temperatures ranging from -20 degrees to 80 degrees Celsius. Given our limited time with the ELECRO, we could not test out its real-world range. That said, over the course of our 20km ride, the range drop was minimal.
The Croyance ELECRO J.06 is expected to be priced from Rs 8.5 lakh to Rs 8.9 lakh, ex-showroom, and the price will vary depending on the configuration of the cargo area. While it is more expensive than electric three-wheelers with similar cargo capacity, none of them offer the safety or practicality or low running costs of the J.06 platform, and the only four-wheeled electric cargo vehicle, the Tata Ace EV is significantly more expensive while offering similar range, charge times and payload capacity, and not to forger, a larger footprint. The Croyance delivers the best of both worlds – the compact practicality associated with three-wheelers and the safety and load capacity of a four-wheeled transport solution. In terms of last mile mobility, there is no question that the future will be green. With vehicles like the Croyance J 0.6, it will be safer and cost effective too!
