Indian billionaire and CEO of Zoho Corporation recently added an unusual vehicle to his collection. Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho Corporation, shared images of his new ride, an electric autorickshaw, on his profile. It looks like Sridhar really likes electric vehicles. He had bought a Tata Nexon EV for his personal use in 2022.
I am excited that my brand new electric auto Montra from the Murugappa Group is here
Fast pick up and nice suspension. I am loving it! pic.twitter.com/ooNIeuazfG
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) April 20, 2024
Sridhar Vembu posted the image of his new autorickshaw with a caption, “I am excited that my brand new electric auto Montra from the Murugappa Group is here. Fast pickup and nice suspension. I am loving it!” From the caption, it looks like Sridhar really liked the ride quality of this electric auto.
Some of his followers also congratulated him on his new purchase. While we have a list of billionaire and millionaire businessmen who have bought expensive and exotic cars for their personal use, Sridhar Vembu opted for an electric auto that he can drive around on his property and also use for local commute.
One user asked Sridhar why he is so excited about an electric auto and why he has never said anything about an electric car. To this, Sridhar replied, “I posted about my Tata Nexon EV. I drive it around for longer distances. Under 10 km is the e-auto.” He also wrote, “The electric auto is a great and safe upgrade for a scooter or motorcycle. I like to think of it as the family scooter. Easy to navigate through tight spaces, easier to park … One of these days the e-auto will take off in the consumer market. I hope the Montra breaks through.”
In India, only a few states allow you to register autorickshaws as private vehicles. Mostly, these autorickshaws are seen as commercial vehicles, and people try to stay away from them as they don’t suit their image. However, finding an autorickshaw with a white number plate is not very uncommon in South India.
In the images shared by Sridhar, we see him sitting in the driver’s seat of the auto while posing for the picture. It looks like this is not the only electric rickshaw he owns. We went through the comment section and found that other than the Montra electric super auto, he owns two more e-autos which he uses at his farm and for school runs.
The Montra Electric Super Auto was launched in the Indian market in 2022. The Murugappa Group’s electric auto even won the International Red Dot Design Award for 2023 in the ‘Innovative Last Mile Mobility Electric Passenger Vehicle’ category. An updated version of the electric auto with a longer driving range was launched earlier this year. We feel Sridhar got himself the updated version. The 2024 version gets a 10 kW lithium-ion battery pack which has an ARAI certified range of 203 km.
This electric auto is priced at Rs 3.02 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes up to Rs 3.50 lakh, ex-showroom. Other than the electric auto, the Zoho CEO also owns a Tata Nexon electric SUV. He bought this SUV back in 2022. This was the pre-facelift version which we now know as the Medium Range version.
The SUV uses a 30.2 kWh lithium-ion battery that can deliver a claimed driving range of 312 km on a single charge. The electric motor is able to produce 129 Ps of max power and 245 Nm of peak torque.
The post Billionaire Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu Buys New Electric Auto: Uses It For 10 KM Rides first appeared on Cartoq.
Source link
