Alliance Group, a Surat-based company which runs a business of embroidery machines, has gifted its 35 employees electric scooters on the occasion of Diwali.
The scooters, which appear to be Okinawa PraisePro, are priced at Rs 79,845 (ex-showroom). The move will help the company’s employees battle inflation and rising fuel prices. It will also contribute towards environmental protection, a company official said. “In view of increasing fuel prices and other factors we've decided to gift electric vehicles to our employees,” Alliance Group director Subhash Dawar told ANI.
The PraisePro, one of the high-speed Okinawa scooters, comes with a 2.0 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It is powered by a 72 volt, 1,000 watts brushless DC motor which can generate peak power of 2,500 watts. The vehicle can pick up a top speed of 58km/h.
The e-scooter can be fully recharged using a micro-charger in less than three hours. On a single charge, the e-scooter can go up to 88 km. Okinawa gives a three-year or 30,000-km motor warranty on PraisePro and a three-year battery warranty.
Other thoughtful gifts
Other companies have also given thoughtful gifts to employees to celebrate this Diwali. Panasonic Life Solutions India has given bonuses, gift vouchers and paid leaves to its white-collar employees and factory workers.
This year, employers are giving special leaves around Diwali for employees to unwind and rejuvenate.
Meesho, the e-commerce player is giving a company-wide break from November 4-14, "so that all employees get a well-deserved break right after our busy and frenetic festive sale season."
PepsiCo India conducted a virtual celebration for its employees and their families and also gave an additional day off.
EVs on a roll
Meanwhile, India has
seen a surge in sale of electric vehicles, with 1.18 lakh units being sold in the first half of this fiscal, which is about 90 percent of the total sales the previous fiscal. Till September, 58,264 units of electric two-wheelers and 59,808 units of three-wheelers were sold, according to data compiled by Centre for Energy Finance at Council on Energy, Environment and Water at Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF).
"Financial incentives by the central and state government are attracting new EV buyers whereas rising fuel costs are increasing the operational expenditure for ICE vehicle owners.” Rishabh Jain, Programme Lead of CEEW-CEF, said.
The government slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel on the eve of Diwali. The Centre cut petrol prices by Rs 5, while diesel prices were down by Rs 10 across India.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
