Biliti Electric Powers the World’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Three-wheeler
New Delhi, 21st July 2022: California-based Biliti Electric Inc, a fast-growing e-mobility
company with a presence across the globe has unveiled the world’s first hydrogen fuel
cell (HFC) powered electric three-wheeler vehicle – FastMileTM.
Biliti’s FastMileTM has a quick refueling time of fewer than 3 minutes and offers a long range
of up to 130 miles. The vehicle comes with a superior motor that offers a grade ability
of 20°, and a payload capacity of 1500 lbs. Most fuel cells available today are meant for
stationary or warehousing applications and are not suitable for on-road and mobile
deployments. Biliti has successfully integrated all the fuel cell components and
upgraded them to automotive standards. The vehicle has been tested for more than
6,000 miles in rugged road conditions.
“This is a major step towards shaping the future of hydrogen energy and fuel cells for
global markets. Thankfully, BEVs are not the only solution for decarbonizing
transportation. We are transforming the application and commercialization of HFCs by
bringing the technology to compact and affordable vehicles as well” says Rahul
Gayam, CEO of BILITI Electric.
The main difference is that BEVs contains a large battery to store electricity, while FCEVs
create their own electricity by using a hydrogen fuel cell. Global three-wheeler
The refueling market is worth $40 Bn annually. At a price point of $7/kg of hydrogen, 3W
FCEVs achieve price parity with their conventional counterparts fueled by petrol or
diesel. The production cost of grey hydrogen (produced using fossil fuels) is currently sub-
$2/kg. This allows for the transition to FCEVs today with the ability to switch to green
hydrogen (produced from renewable energy), which is expected to drop to $1/kg by
2030.
Electric three-wheelers (popularly known as e-tuk-tuks) are compact vehicles suitable
for last-mile mobility applications. This class of vehicle actually has real utility in the right
location. Both people and goods movement in crowded urban areas, coastal and
island communities, gated neighborhoods, and sprawling suburbia are all key markets
for these three-wheelers.
Biliti’s TaskmanTM (BEV) is a popular last-mile delivery vehicle that is deployed in 15
countries across the globe including Japan, USA, UK, France, Portugal, Germany,
Lebanon, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Nepal, Bangladesh, Dubai, and India, and has
covered over 20 million miles. Tasmania is currently being used by Amazon, IKEA,
Flipkart (Walmart), Wasoko (Sokowatch), BigBasket (Tata), Zomato, JioMart (Reliance)
among others.
Biliti’s SmartSwappTM technology allows the vehicle batteries to be swapped in less
than one minute. Luxembourg-based GEM Global Yield LLC has earlier committed
$400 million to Biliti in the form of a Share Subscription Facility. The company has also
announced its plans to set up the world’s largest electric three-wheeler manufacturing
facility in India.