EV Startups in India

The global automakers have been copiously juggling with finding new and sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, for decades. The overall environmental degradation has not been a hidden consequence of burning fuels from the world. And now, the need to switch from fuels to other environmental-friendly alternatives is more than ever. The world has now joined hands together and pledged for a carbon-neutral world with zero carbon emission. Electric vehicles would be a key player to help achieve that goal. 

India has a lot to gain from the widespread adoption of e-mobility. Under the Make In India programme, the manufacturing of e-vehicles and their associated components is expected to increase the share of manufacturing in India’s GDP to 25 by 2022. On the economic front, large-scale adoption of electric vehicles is projected to help save $60 billion on oil imports by 2030. Electrification will help reduce vehicular emissions, a key contributor to air pollution which causes an average 3 GDP loss every year, reports suggest.

Here is a list of 5 startups that are aiming to facilitate the widespread adoption of e-mobility in India:-

• Ampere

Ampere operated on a philosophy that there ought to be other, more efficient alternatives for fuel. In 2008, Ampere took their learning and experience in automobiles of over 160 years and launched 3 models of e-scooters, being one of the first vehicles in India going the ‘electric way’. And since then, they haven’t looked back. In 2010, Ampere introduced 3 models of electric cycles. In 2014, they launched the first battery operated waste management vehicles for Panchayat. 2015 and 2016, were the years of growth and expansion, with the right investments from the right companies and people to help create the vision of electrifying vehicles in India, a reality. In 2018, Greaves Cotton Ltd acquired a major share in Ampere. In 2019, amidst the disruption in the automobile industry, Ampere by Greaves came at the forefront of the technological disruption in the automobile industry.

Over the years ampere has never compromised on the quality of their electrical vehicles, making them go through a very strict scrutiny. Every vehicle is fully tested and certified for quality standards before dispatch. They are also tested under extreme weather conditions (heat and cold) and varied roads and terrains (upslope and downslope, flyover- with load and without load).

With over 350+ service centers spread strategically across India, Ampere aims to cater to the ever growing EV industry in India. 

• Ather 

Ather Energy is a start-up focused on designing and selling premium electric two wheeler for the Indian market. Ather wants to change the perspective about electric vehicles by building high performance, zero maintenance and smart electric vehicles.

The company has manufactured two scooter models at present - 450 and 450X. They have also established an electric vehicle charging network called AtherGrid.

They own and operate their own experience centres (called AtherSpace) to give the customers a complete ownership experience. They’ve recently launched the Ather 450X, which is set to hit 10 cities across India by the end of 2020.

Ather Energy's customers believe that electric vehicles will shape urban commute in the years to come. They choose to own the experience of a vehicle that is built from scratch, offers an unparalleled ride, and is powered by intelligence.

The Ather 450 is an electric scooter manufactured by Ather Energy in India. It was launched in Bengaluru in September 2018. The scooter can accelerate 0–40 km/h (0–25 mph) in 3.9 seconds. It has a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) with 75 km (47 mi) range

In January 2020, Ather Energy introduced Ather 450X, quicker, more intelligent than its predecessor Ather 450. Deliveries of Ather 450X started in November and are now available in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Mysore, Hubli, Jaipur and Hyderabad.

In September 2020, Ather Energy unveiled the collector’s edition of the Ather 450X, called Series 1 for the customers who pre-ordered Ather 450X.

• Okinawa

Okinawa Autotech Pvt. Ltd., established by Jeetender Sharma and Rupali Sharma in 2015, aims to work on a socially responsible platform and make electric scooters which will drive our today towards a sustainable tomorrow. The company sees itself as a legend of the Green Transportation Industry. It believes in building a better, cleaner and greener future for the next generations and thus, these electric scooters ensure that Science & Technology and Mother Nature work together hand in hand. A smooth ride on these two-wheelers paves a path to a pollution- free environment for our children. Okinawa has given the world its fastest, smartest, eco- friendly and most economical electric scooters. The brand is setting a benchmark for the whole two-wheeler category vehicles by satisfying its customers.

The fast developing India needs a vehicle that can match the pace as it makes every ride memorable and sustainable. Okinawa electric scooters have brought a revolutionary change in the two-wheeler automobile domain. These battery scooters are economical. They are cheap to buy. The customer doesn’t have to empty his wallet on the harmful fuels every other day; these scooters run on the battery with reduced charging time. The maintenance cost is also low as they don’t need any engine oil or lubricants to perform their best. No license and no registration are required which makes the rides easier. The cost-effective vehicle does not only give enhanced safety but also a long distance range. Good customer care service is an added benefit. Zero emissions and no noise pollution give these electric scooters brownie points. An application for customer centricity and best service will be launched in future. This quality innovation had decreased efforts and increased the enjoyable moments in the lives of customers. These scooters are sure to maximise the joy of customers.

• Ola electric

Ola Electric is a product by Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies. It aims to place 10,000 e-rickshaws in service over the next 12 months. Building on the EV pilot by the company in Nagpur, Ola believes that electrification can improve outcomes for drivers, customers, and its business model. Ola Electric, which was set up in 2017, will work with driver-partners, cities, vehicle manufacturers, and battery companies to make sustainable technologies cost-effective and viable in daily mobility. Ola is the market leader in app-based hailing and intends to leverage its scale to bring cleaner, more comfortable, and safer products to the market. With investments from SoftBank, Tiger Global, Ratan Tata, and several others, the startup became the fastest unicorn after Udaan.

Keeping in mind India’s EV revolution Ola Electric opened reservations for their electric scooter, the first in the range of upcoming EVs. With its incredible performance, technology and design along with aggressive pricing, it aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility.

Late last year, Ola said it would invest Rs 2,400 crore into the first phase of the factory. It intends to export its bikes to Europe and Australia. It also has plans to provide charging solutions to all its electric two-wheeler customers through the Ola Hypercharger Network. Ola is expected to build 5,000 charging points across 100 cities.

• Blive

Founded by Samarth Kholkar and Sandeep Mukherjee, BLive offers curated e-cycling tours that let tourists experience destinations differently. Presently operating in Goa, the startup plans to launch in Pondicherry, Ahmedabad, Mysore, Chandigarh, and Coorg this year.

Samarth Kholkar, a Goa native, felt strongly about his state’s history and heritage, and was keen to help tourists discover the unseen side of India’s most-loved beach destination.

In 2017, he met Sandeep Mukherjee, a friend who he had connected with 16 years ago, in Bengaluru. The duo was keen to do something more than living corporate lives. Samarth and Sandeep decided to combine clean technology with experiential tourism to create India’s first EV tourism initiative. And BLive was born.

The founders invested Rs 50 lakh of their own money and purchased 30 electric bikes (e-cycles), manufactured to their specifications, and set up shop in Panaji. Their office was a refurbished ship container brightened up with the warm yellow BLive branding. The company launched four tours in November 2018, and has served more than 1,000 customers to date.

The EV tourism startup offers curated tours, including ‘The Lost City of Goa’ (with stories of old monuments and people), ‘The Making of Panaji’ (an inside look at the town), ‘Escape to Divar Island’ (an outing to a lush, scenic island), and ‘Culture Trails of Panaji’ (a look at vibrancy and colours of Fontainhas, Goa’s Latin Quarter).

Each trip costs Rs 1,500 and lasts up to four hours. Fully charged bikes are provided (they can traverse a distance of 60 km) for the trips, which don’t cover more than 15 km. After the user books a tour on the BLive website, they are accompanied by a personal guide who narrates the story even as they experience it. 

• Euler

Euler Motors, an automotive technology startup focused on electric commercial vehicles (ECVs) said that it has closed its Series A funding round at $9.5 million, with additional investments of $2.6 million raised from new investor ADB Ventures, the venture investing arm of Asian Development Bank, and existing investor Blume Ventures. This also marks the first investment by ADB Ventures in an EV company globally.

Euler founder Saurav Kumar co-founded his first startup, Cube26, to build operating systems for Indian mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)like Karbon, Micromax, and Lava. The firm, which also sold smart bulbs, raised close to $6.7 million from Tiger Global. Once Cube26 was sold to Paytm for an undisclosed amount in 2018, Saurav immediately set up Euler Motors. And the idea for this startup occurred to Saurav in far-flung China.

Euler Motors said it has established a network of 100+ charging infrastructure in Delhi NCR that can charge 200+ electric vehicles at any given point and boasts over 250 vehicles deployed across e-commerce and 3PL companies to fulfil last-mile intra-city delivery requirements. With deployments across customers such as BigBasket, EcomExpress and Udaan, Euler Motors’ vehicles have completed over 10 million deliveries and helped reduce carbon emissions of over 2.2 million tonnes. With almost 200 increase in demand last year, the company is all set to launch an advanced technology L5 vehicle in the upcoming quarter.

India’s urban population is rising rapidly with its youth migrating to cities in large numbers in search of jobs and better economic opportunities. This increase in urbanisation stimulates mobility needs, thereby causing the demand for vehicles to rise. This will further lead to an increase in the country’s dependence on importing crude oil, causing the overall carbon footprint to rise. On the contrary, India’s pledge under the Paris Agreement is to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 33-35 by 2030, as compared to the 2005 levels. 

Startups are playing a pivotal role in the evolving electric mobility space in India. Charging infrastructure and mobility services are the key opportunity areas for startups with the emergence of various new business models.

Looking to stimulate and strengthen the EV startup ecosystem, incubator and accelerator Huddle and early-stage venture capital firm GrowX ventures have announced India’s first acceleration programme for EV startups. The selected startups under the program will be offered various benefits such as mentorship from industry experts, seed investment led by GrowX ventures and pilot opportunities from companies like Exide, TATA, and Swiggy, who are partners at the Huddle - GrowX EV accelerator.

LetsVenture, an online funding platform for startups has also launched Lets Accelerates EV Innovation Labs to help EV startups in India access resources to become investment and market-ready.

Autobot Academy is taking into consideration all these futuristic issues and changing the reality today itself. The initiatives made by Autobot Academy help the budding minds and EV enthusiasts to not only make a career in the EV industry but also help the nation to lower its dependence on fossil fuels and other non sustainable energy sources. The academic courses run by Autobot Academy allow every individual to gain knowledge about the subject and also know about the practical aspects of the same.