Wings EV gets ARAI nod for its two-seater L7 category micro-car ‘Robin’ • EVreporter

Urban mobility is marred by pollution, congestion, and shrinking parking spaces. While electrification of mobility options solves vehicular pollution, newer compact form factors are required to enable comfortable personal mobility. Team EVreporter had a chance to meet Pranav Dandekar, CEO and Co-Founder of Wings EV, and test drive their pre-production micro car ‘Robin’.

Here’s an excerpt from the interaction.

Can you share what inspired the creation of Robin?

The idea stemmed from the increasing shift from scooters to cars due to urban challenges like potholes, pollution, and congestion. However, most cars carry only one or two occupants, contributing significantly to congestion. Electric vehicles tackle pollution but not congestion. We aimed to blend the efficiency of a two-wheeler with the safety and comfort of a small car to address these needs.

Could you give us the basic specifications of this electric vehicle?

Robin is classified as an L7 quadricycle, aligning closely with European standards. It reaches up to 60 km/h, which is ideal for city use, and offers a range of 90 km on a single charge and acceleration of 0-40 kmph in 5 seconds. The charging port is located at the vehicle’s rear, and the charger is mounted under the driver’s seat. It takes around 5 hours to fully charge the vehicle using a standard 16-ampere plug, facilitated by its 1.8 KW onboard charger. Robin is powered by two BLDC hub motors, with a total rated power of 6KW and a combined max torque of 282 Nm.

The dimensions are equivalent to a large motorbike (2250 x 945 x 1560mm) and offer 160mm ground clearance. The driver’s main door is on the right, while the rear passenger door is on the left for curbside access, optimized for urban pick-ups. Additional smaller doors allow flexibility for entry and exit from both sides.

Please tell us about the battery pack used for this vehicle.

Robin is powered by a patented 5.6 KWh LFP battery pack called Wings PowerSlab. The LFP chemistry is thermally more stable compared to NMC, and so it is far better suited for hot Indian conditions. This pack is the world’s thinnest automotive battery pack at 69mm tall.

It is part of Robin’s skateboard construction: it sits under the vehicle floorboard and spans the length and width of the chassis. This construction provides stability by lowering the center of gravity, and also creates a beautifully balanced vehicle with a FAW/RAW weight distribution of 47/53. This battery pack placement improves vehicle stability and handling.

Could you explain what Drive-by-Wire technology, used in this EV, means?

In Robin, the traditional drive shaft is replaced by two independently controlled BLDC hub motors in the rear wheels, which are controlled by software. This drive-bywire technology, akin to systems used in fighter jets, enables active stability control. It allows us to independently control the motors, enhancing vehicle stability comparable to sports cars or high-end vehicles with electronic stability control.

What is the current homologation status and when are you planning to bring it to the market?

After five years of development and seven pre-production prototypes, we recently passed all L7 homologation tests, including safety assessments like the full-frontal crash test.

Now that we are preparing for production, we are setting up our manufacturing facility in Indore and have launched our website to book pre-orders. Deliveries are expected to begin next year. Robin offers three variants—e, s, and x—starting at an introductory price of INR 1,99,000.

Also read: Developing a solar electric micro car for easy urban mobility