Tell us about your manufacturing capabilities and capacities.
Lohia is one of the very first players to have its own state of the aft manufacturing facility in Kashipur (Uttarakhand). The Lohia plant at Kashipur, Uttarakhand uses futuristically designed state-of-the-art equipment, managed by one of the most modern Cloud-ERP technology, with a capacity to roll out 1,00,000 vehicles annually.

How has been the overall market for you in terms of business in the last one year? Is the growth in line with your set targets?
So far we have received a very positive response from our customers. Today's population is well aware about the menace of pollution and is gradually opting for electric vehicles. We are hopeful that in the coming years the demand for our products will witness a tremendous boost.

Tell us something about your investments and revenues?
As mentioned earlier, the combined manufacturing capacity of our Kashipur plant is one lakh vehicle annually. Lohia has undertaken an investment of Rs.50 crore in creating this facility and it intends to invest Rs10 crore in the next two years. By 2020, Lohia intend to cross Rs.500 crore market revenue.

Your manufacturing facility is located in Kashipur, Uttarakhand. What have been the strategic advantages of having a facility in this region? How does this region compare with the rest of the country when it comes to supporting the manufacturing activities?
It has a high level of vertical integration and a large share of local suppliers. The facility being operated in a green-industrial-belt supports our philosophy that embodies our goal of creating environment friendly products and solutions. Also tax exemptions, skilled/ unskilled manpower availability, low operating cost etc. are the key advantages of keeping manufacturing facility at Kashipur.

How happy are you with the evolution of the e-vehicles market in India?
The revolution of electric vehicles has already started in India and we see a tremendous growth for electric vehicles in India. Side by side we see good demand for electric rickshaw, it is able to prove itself as the only viable option for the last mile connectivity. We see a tremendous opportunity as it poised to replace pedal rickshaw and can be a solution for people transportation in the last mile connectivity. For the last mile connectivity from bus stand, railway station or Metro station, the electric three-wheeler and the e-rickshaw can be a very cost effective and no-pollution solution for transportation. This will help boost better connectivity.

What are the initiatives that the government and the industry can take up further to encourage the growth of this industry?
Central and state governments are encouraging Electric Vehicles and recognising that in future India doesn't need to depend on fossil fuel imports and it can leap frog to Electric Vehicles. We see a strong growth on the back of central government support in electric vehicle segment. By 2020 central government plans to spend Rs14000 crore and that will provide a big boost to the industry.

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