5 Things To Know About The Strom R3, The Indian EV That Just Racked Up Bookings Worth Rs 7.5 Crore

Created by a Mumbai-based startup, this three-wheeled EV promises to have a running cost of just 40 paise per kilometre 

We’ve been eyeing the Strom R3 since last year, when its booking schedule was announced and then postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Mumbai-based electric vehicle (EV) startup has finally commenced bookings for the Strom R3, with first deliveries expected in early 2022. Storm claims that it has racked up bookings worth Rs 7.5 crore for the EV in just four days! Unverified reports suggest that about 165 units of the car have been booked so far in Delhi-NCR and Mumbai. Here are five things to know about this quirky three-wheeled EV from a desi start-up:

1. Seating and storage capacity: If you’re an automotive enthusiast, we know you bemoan the absence of affordable roadsters, coupes and cabriolets in India. But not for long, since the Strom R3 is a two-door two-seater with a sunroof! The boot can store up to 300 litres, but there is a storage space in the front as well which adds up to 400 litres of total cargo volume. For reference, even a large hatchback such as the Honda Jazz has 354 litres of cargo volume. 

2. Range and charging: Strom claims that the R3 has a range of 200km. It will run on a 48-volt electric system, with the electric motor rated at 15kW (20.4PS) of power and 90Nm of torque. Two other versions with ranges of 120km and 180km could be available, although current bookings are for the 200km version only. The carmaker claims that it will take 3 hours to charge the battery, but no voltage specs for the on-board charger have been revealed yet. 

3. Features: If you didn’t expect the Strom R3 to be equipped like a regular car, think again. The brochure lists features such as keyless entry, power windows, digital driver’s display, a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen, voice and gesture commands, climate control and GPS navigation! The dashboard layout looks simple, but it is packed with features which could make similarly priced petrol and diesel cars blush. 

4. Future tech: Strom is cooking up two new features which could be seen in future updates to the R3. The first is simply termed ‘parking assist,’ but we don’t know if it will be a sensor and camera-based guidance system or an autonomous parking system. The second is Automatic Vehicle Following System (AVFS), which could be an adaptive cruise control system. 

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5. Price: The official claim hasn’t changed: this car will have an ex-showroom price of Rs 4.5 lakh. We are not sure if it will attract the central government’s FAME-II subsidies, but if it indeed makes it to the market at around this price, it is likely to become India’s most affordable electric car. If you book the car early Strom will provide a premium sound system, customised colour options and three years of free maintenance. That amounts to benefits of Rs 50,000. Deliveries will begin with Delhi-NCR and Mumbai followed by Bengaluru and Pune in the second phase.