Startup launches Thailand’s first EV motorcycle designed for food delivery

Thailand-based mobility company Etran announced that it has launched Myra, the country’s first electric vehicle (EV) motorcycle that was explicitly designed for food delivery.

A person riding Etran’s newly launched Myra, Thailand’s first electric vehicle motorcycle for food deliveries / Photo credit: Etran

Aside from letting riders travel longer with its low-level maintenance needs, the environment-friendly vehicle can support cold-chain refrigerators and also features fleet management systems for road data analysis.

The company in a statement said that Myra was designed, developed, and manufactured by a Thai team with the support of the leading players in the country’s automotive industry, namely ND Rubber, Summit Auto Body, Pioneer Motor, and Nostra Logistic.

“As disruptive as it is, Covid-19 created the so-called ‘techcerellation’ where technology adoption happens at an accelerated speed,” Etran’s executive chairman Archawat Chareonsilp said in a statement. “Myra is built for times like these, and we see the clear launch window into the fast-growing online food delivery sector.”

With Myra, Chareonsilp hopes to aid the delivery industry’s growth without increasing its greenhouse gas emissions. The company will also announce a partnership with a leading food delivery app within the year

To match the EV motorcycle, Etran will also open seven power and service stations in Bangkok this year where riders can swap used-up batteries for a fully charged one once a day.

The battery swap covers a rider’s average daily delivery run, the company said in a statement. This system will also eliminate waiting time for a full charge, with riders estimated to save 2000 Thai baht (US$64.11) to 3,000 Thai baht (US$96.16) a month.

Etran said that 1,000 motorcycles will be available by end of the year. They will be offered with three financing options: sales, rent, and subscription. The daily rent rate is currently set for as low as 150 Thai baht (US$4.8).

The launch comes after the company successfully raised US$3.5 million earlier this year.