1,000 Citroën ë-c3 small EVs to join OHM E Logistics fleet in India
The Citroën ë-c3 that went on sale in India in February 2023 is not very popular among retail customers. But it is getting some attention from the fleet market. In March, Citroën inked a deal to supply 4,000 units of the ë-C3 to homegrown eMobility ride-hailing & EV charging service provider BluSmart Mobility and delivered 125 units as part of the initial phase. Now, it has signed a similar MoU with OHM E Logistics for 1,000 units of the small EV.
OHM E Logistics is a company that provides airport transfer and intra-city cab services with EVs. Currently, it operates in two cities in the Telangana state: Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The company has acquired the first 120 units of the agreed 1,000 units of the Citroën ë-c3 and deployed them in Hyderabad. It will gradually add the remaining 880 units to its e-mobility fleet by June 2025.
The Citroën ë-c3 sold in India is a little different from the Euro-spec model. It carries a simpler design, but more importantly, its structure is not as tough as that of the latter. It has scored a 0-star rating for adult occupant safety and just one star for child occupant safety in a Global NCAP crash test. There is a growing interest in vehicle safety in India, with the government tightening the screws through stricter safety regulations in recent years and customers simultaneously increasing the weightage on the safety aspect during their purchase/lease decision for a new car.
In addition to poor safety, local media has been critical about missing essential and premium features, and lack of performance and refinement in the India-made Citroën ë-c3. These could be among the reasons the car is struggling in the market. Passionnément Citroën, a Citroën-focused French publication, said in a report in January that the low-cost EV registered just over 2,800 units in annual sales in 2023. To put that in perspective, domestic brand Tata Motors sold 21,072 units of the Nexon EV, which is a little bigger but also a much more expensive EV in the B-segment, as per a report from Autocar Professional.
The India-made Citroën ë-c3 comes with a 57 kW/143 Nm motor that allows it to accelerate from 0 to 60 kph in 6.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 107 kph. It has a 29.2 kWh LFP battery pack, which lacks liquid cooling and can only be charged at up to 30 kW. While the official (MIDC) range is just 320 km, Citroën said before the launch that the real-world range will be around 240-250 km, as per an article from evo India.
The Citroën ë-c3’s prices in India start at ₹12,76,300 or approximately €14,000. The Euro-spec Citroën ë-c3, set to be manufactured in Trnava, Slovakia, costs €23,300 onwards in France. Customer deliveries there will begin this summer.
0 Comments