The Rise & Fall Of India’s First Electric Vehicle “Love Bird”

I have been fascinated by cars ever since my childhood. Back in my school days, I used to see moms coming to pick their kids up in a REVA electric car. These REVA cars looked funky and cute. Back then I was told that the REVA was India’s first-ever electric car. I have been penning articles and blogs on electric vehicles and other modes of sustainable transportation systems since February 2021. While searching for information on the EV revolution in India, I came across a piece of information about an electric car that hit the Indian roads way before REVA. In this article, we will go back to the era of the early 1990s to know more about the rise and fall of India’s first-ever electric car Love Bird.

Love Bird(Image Courtesy: Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd)

The Arrival of ECC Love Bird

The 1990s was a golden era for the Indian economy. The economic liberalization policies by the Union Government allowed many foreign companies to start investing in India. The automotive sector was dominated by Internal Combustion Engine(ICE) vehicles that ran on conventional fossil fuels like petrol, diesel, and Compressed Natural Gas(CNG). The research and development in the domain of electric vehicles were growing exponentially in the European and other developed countries. While in India, the electric vehicle revolution had not yet begun. Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd was ready to disrupt the Indian automotive sector in the early 1990s by introducing India’s first electric car Love Bird.

ECC Love Bird

Love Bird Test Car

India’s first electric car “Love Bird” was indigenously manufactured by Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd in association with a Japanese firm Yaskawa Electric Corporation. The car was manufactured at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd

Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd is an Indian company established in the year 1971 by MD Jose. The company is based in Chalakkudy, Kerala. The company has manufacturing facilities in Chalakkudy, Kerala and Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The company has an in-house R&D Center recognized by the DSIR (Department of Scientific & Industrial Research), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. The company manufactures Variable Speed Drives for both public and private companies in India and other parts of the globe.

Yaskawa Electric Corporation

Yaskawa Electric Corporation is a Japanese company established in the year 1915. The company was founded by Keiichiro Yasukawa. They manufacture servos, motion controllers, AC motor drives, switches, and industrial robots. The company has business hubs in 29 countries around the world and production bases in 12 countries including Japan. Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd pioneered the manufacturing of Eddy Current Variable Speed Drives and related control systems in India in association with Yaskawa Electric Corporation.

India’s First Electric Car Love Bird at the 1993 Auto Expo held in New Delhi, India(Source: The Times Of India Group Copyrights: BCCL)

“Love Bird” was launched at the 1993 Auto Expo held in New Delhi, India. The Love Bird won many laurels and awards at this prestigious event.

The Stall of Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd at the 1993 Auto Expo held in New Delhi, India

Technical Specifications of Love Bird

Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd designed “Love Bird” to cater to consumers from tier-1 and tier-2 Indian cities. The technical specifications of the Love Bird are as follows:

1. Seating Capacity: The Love Bird was a two-seater car. It could easily accommodate two people including the driver.
2. Top Speed: The top speed of the Love Bird as specified by the manufacturer is 50km/hr.
3. Motor Specification: The Love Bird had a Five horsepower DC series motor.
4. Battery Specifications: Lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and other battery technologies weren’t available in the 1990s. Love Bird had a 5.4-kilowatt-hour rechargeable lead-acid battery pack.
5. Battery Charging Time: It took nearly 6 to 8 hours for the lead-acid battery pack to become fully charged.
6. Chassis & Body Material: The Love Bird chassis was made up of lightweight high tensile steel. The body was made up of fiberglass reinforced polyester.
7. Range: A fully charged Love Bird car could travel 60kms.An Electric Car that has a range of 60 km despite the lack of advancement of battery technology back in the 1990s must be truly appreciated. The average range of an Electric-2-Wheeler available in the market right now is 60kms.
8. Transmission: The Love Bird had a four-gear transmission system. It was also equipped with reverse gear.
9. Grade Limit: The grade limit of the car was 15 degrees ie the vehicle cannot be used to climb steep roads that have an incline greater than 15 degrees. A MOSFET chopper is also equipped to help the car to maneuver the slope with a 15-degree incline.
10. Tests: The vehicle had successfully passed all stringent tests conducted by the Vehicle Research & Development Establishment in Ahmednagar, Pune to receive the Road Wellness Certificate.

Love Bird Newspaper Advertisement

Why Did India’s First Electric Car Fail To Create An Impact On The Indian Automobile Market?

Despite having all the futuristic features, Love Bird could not create an impact on the Indian automobile market. The manufacturer of Love Bird Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd could not register a three-digit sales figure. They could only sell 25 units. The reasons behind the failure of Love Bird in the Indian Automotive Market are as follows:

1. The Market Was Not Ready For The Electric Vehicle Revolution In The Early 1990s: The Indian Automotive sector in the early 1990s was dominated only by the CNG, Petrol, and Diesel Vehicles. The consumers weren’t ready to adopt any other vehicle other than the conventional IC Engine ones. Lack of awareness on EVs amongst automobile consumers in the early 1990s prevented Love Bird from creating a major impact on the Indian automotive sector.
2. Heavy Competition From Other Automobile Manufacturers: The early 1990s witnessed the rise of new cars from top companies like Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, and other automakers. These cars were technically advanced with an ergonomic design and had a higher seating capacity than Love Bird. So these cars took over the market.
3. Withdrawal of Government Subsidies: The Union Government of India had initially sanctioned financial subsidies for the Love Bird car. Later these subsidies for Love Bird were withdrawn making it quite expensive for the consumer aspiring to buy the car. Unfortunately, there weren’t EV policies Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India-I(FAME-I) and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India-II(Fame-II) back in the early 1990s to nurture the Indian EV sector.
4. Absence of Uninterrupted Power Supply: There was a lack of continuous power supply back then. UPS and other technologies could not be afforded by all. To recharge the lead-acid battery of Love Bird, you needed 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted power supply, and the uninterrupted power supply wasn’t available everywhere in the country.
5. Lack of Charging Infrastructure in the early 1990s: The term Electric Vehicle itself was novel to the Indian automobile market. So having a charging station back in the early 1990s was far beyond imagination.

Conclusion

I have witnessed the rise of the Indian electric vehicle revolution over the last three to four years. The well-established automobile manufacturers aren’t the only game-changers in the Indian EV Revolution but also new companies with innovative ideas have conquered their place in the Indian EV Market. I would like to say,” The change comes from the innovators and disruptors.”When it comes to the rise and fall of India’s first electric Love Bird, Love Bird was indeed a unique attempt by Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd. As a concluding remark, I would like to say

Love Bird must not just be remembered as India’s first electric car but also as an attempt to disrupt the Indian automotive sector with its futuristic design and innovation. One must really appreciate the work by Eddy Current Controls (India) Ltd to come with such an offbeat idea in an era where the Internal Combustion Engine vehicles were dominating the Indian roads and the term “electric vehicles” was totally new for the Indian market. From the failure of Love Bird, one could learn any innovation wishing to disrupt the market need to be backed by progressive government policies and well-established supporting infrastructure.If we had policies like Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India-I(FAME-I) and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India-II(FAME-II) way back in the early 1990s, India would have been right now ranked as one amongst the top three countries in the world to have adopted Electric Vehicles.I would love to see Love Bird making a comeback on the Indian Roads.