Seldom do we find Nepali brands producing international grade products, let alone an automobile brand producing electric vehicles. Yatri Motorcycles, a natively built electrical vehicle company aims to build a sustainable transport ecosystem in Nepal.
Yatri Motorcycles currently has two electrical motorcycles for sale—Project One (P-1) and Project Zero (P-0). The P-1 can be customized to one’s preference and retails for NPR 565,000 with a reservation charge of NPR 10,000. The P-0 is a non-commercial research vehicle that retails for NPR 1,949,000 with a reservation charge of NPR 10,000. Unlike the P-0 which was created to sustain a skillful team, the P-1 is the pinnacle of years of research condensed into a relatively affordable vehicle for the public.
As things take speed in June/July, the team expects deliveries to take a couple of weeks from ordering the products. Yatri has also faced criticism regarding the pricing of their vehicles in the past. As they work towards a more economical model, being a small startup does not give them a competitive edge in terms of pricing. Being a new company in this competitive market put them under a microscope, making it impossible to compromise on quality. The team is currently working on delivering the first batch of Project One vehicles with an overwhelmingly positive response from the customers.
This is the first commercial delivery after four relentless years of research, development, testing and continuous improvements. We will be delivering over 100 units (P-1) by June in the first and second series”, says the Founder Ashim Pandey.
With little to no industrial support present in the country, supply chain management was Yatri’s biggest challenge, bringing about a very vertically integrated growth. Alongside obstacles in the acquisition and manufacturing of raw materials, being the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the country posed legal constraints too. Without the presence of proper legislation in the area, Yatri pioneered the process, bridging any legal gaps along the way. Navigating through this process, Yatri took references from EU directives and North American Manufacturer directives while also getting support from the government.
Relatively new to the electric vehicle game, Nepal faces infrastructural challenges in the department. To address these issues, Yatri is developing a Yatri Hub with charger modules all over the country. Currently, there are 13 Yatri DC Rapid Chargers and AC ports throughout the country. The team remains ambitious with its plans, “We will implement 150+ AC and DC Fast chargers across 2000 km by summer 2022”, Ashim Pandey claims.
Why should one switch to Yatri? “Uncompromising ecosystem of services that makes range anxiety a thing of the past, 21st-century connectivity, no-compromise performance, focus on quality and build all help us differentiate us. It is this ecosystem that will really make switching to Yatri a no-brainer”, replies Founder Ashim Pandey.
Amidst the current fuel crisis, customers grow weary of petroleum and are looking to go electric. The vision of Yatri, however, is never to ride on these events. They believe in creating world-class products with a reliable ecosystem with sustainable infrastructure and services.
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