Today charging infrastructure is one of the biggest roadblocks for EVs in India. For the adoption of EVs in mass-scale charging infrastructure plays an important role.
Although many of the infrastructure players are setting up their charging networks across the country, the problem currently lies with using these chargers. Each company has its own application to utilise the charging network, which from a consumer perspective is very cumbersome as they have to install different apps for different charging providers. ElectricPe has entered the race to solve this issue by allowing various charging providers to integrate their networks onto its app so that consumers can access different charging networks through a single app.
Speaking to Mobility Outlook, Avinash Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO, ElectricPe, said, “We are building a consumer brand to make access and transaction of EV charging available on demand at the click of a button.”
The company recently announced that it plans to list 100,000 charging stations by the end of FY23. It intends to attain partnerships in three key areas, such as OEMs, dealerships and residential areas, to achieve this feat.
Given this, the company has announced its partnerships with Hero Electric, Electric One and No Broker. As explained by Sharma, the idea was to target the largest players in the three targeted buckets.
“Hero Electric has the largest number of dealerships, while Electric One has the largest network of multi-brand dealerships and NoBroker is the largest prop tech in the country. So we decided to start our tie-ups with them,” the CEO noted.
He continued that in the current financial year, the company aims to build on more partnerships, while in FY24, it intends to extend the platform based on the partnerships. Alongside the 100,000 charging stations network, the company plans to set up a battery swapping network within FY23. Sharma said, “We are already in advanced talks to integrate battery swap operators also on the ElectricPe network to be made available to users.”
Clear Strategies
While the company has mapped down its plans for FY23, it aims to follow a clear strategy for the expansion. Out of the 100,000 planned charging station networks, 2,500 are already live on the platform and will be spread across select cities, starting with Bangalore.
The CEO stated that the company will continue to be in Bangalore for a long time because it’s essential to create density. Besides Bangalore, the company plans to expand its services to three more cities, given that it captures 50% of the market share in the Karnataka capital, Sharma noted. He continued that the company also aims to follow a similar strategy for the battery swapping network. “We are planning to onboard the battery swapping network as long as the operators have reached a meaningful scale of availability,” he added.
Idea Behind ElectricPe
The CEO explained that by providing a one-stop solution for EV charging needs, the company not only intends to help the consumers but also the providers. He noted that the platform will enable the providers to ensure good utilisation of their charging network. “For players, a value proposition will emerge, which is what ElectricPe is aiming for. A lot of players will emerge who will invest in charging infrastructure but will need somebody to help them get business by sending customers their way, will need someone to make sure that money is collected and will need someone to make sure that their business is managed in a single dashboard. That’s where ElectricPe aims to fit in,” he explained.
The stations listed on the platform are not only managed by network providers but also by individual players, Sharma added.
Regarding the safety of the stations, he said that the company ensures that the stations listed on the platform have an ARAI certification. With the battery swapping network, the company intends to follow a similar footstep; however, individual players will not be allowed for the swapping stations.