Kochi: Startups operating in the electric vehicle (EV) or automobile space are getting traction and the Maker Village, the country’s largest hardware incubator, is finding a high number of such startups among their applicants. Currently, there are at least seven startups operating in EV or automotive segments.
“In the lot of 16 startups we have for August, four are almost EV, which means 30% of the applicants are from EV segment. It is a considerable number,” said Maker Village CEO Nizamuddin Mohammed.
According to Mohammed, there is a trend of EV startups happening now.
“One reason could be the increasing fuel prices and second, the markets and particularly our roads are getting ready to adopt the electric vehicle technology. From the consumer side also, there is a lot of interest in what these electric vehicles can offer. Then there are the big players like Ola Electric coming into play, so there is a strong push from that side too,” he said.
Though these startups all work in the EV space, they are focusing on different aspects.
“Some are preparing the actual small bikes and some are going to the bigger level also. Then, there is interest in small Segway-kind-of bikes too. Also, there are startups which are focusing on different aspects of the vehicle itself how to improve the battery, increase the life of it and how to improve the drive conditions of the vehicle,” Mohammed said.
One of the startups being incubated at Maker Village, Autogrid Mobility Pvt Ltd, is coming up with a platform that aims to deliver mobile SDKs, scalable cloud infrastructure and modular hardware for developing connected mobility products and solutions. And it helps firms in analysing the driving patterns, road conditions etc. On the other hand, Transight Systems Pvt Ltd is working on vehicle tracking and IoT solutions for automobiles.
Another player in EV space, Entuple E-Mobility, is focusing its resources and time on the development of chargers and motor controllers for electric vehicle applications. Astro, another startup set up by Vishnu S and Abhijith A, is engaged in the development of electric bikes, both low-cost and performance bikes.
“Our target is to develop bikes, which could be fast-charged and could give the maximum range,” said founder Vishnu, an alumnus of Mount Zion College of Engineering, Pathanamthitta.
“Most of the bikes in the market are belt-driven, but we are trying to manufacture bikes that are gear-driven,” he added.
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