Ten years down the line, EVs will be far more mainstream

CHETAN Maini is the founder and CEO of Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Private Limited. A pioneer of electric vehicles in India,Maini co-founded REVA Electric Car Company as India’s first electric car manufacturer in 1994. In 2010, Mahindra _ Mahindra acquired REVA to form a new entity named Mahindra Reva. Maini was recently in Kathmandu for the launch of Mahindra e2o electric car. Sanjeev Giri of The Kathmandu Post caught up with Maini to talk about the new vehicle and the future of electric vehicles. Excerpts: Nepal is the first international market for Mahindra e2o. Why did you choose Nepal? I think there were a couple of reasons. One is the issue Nepal is facing in terms of energy and pollution. To me, it meant a right place for us to enter. We already had 100 plus customers who were using Reva. So we had a base and some amount of excitement. And being near from India, we thought it would be easy for us to manage the whole process. How hopeful are you about the success of this new vehicle here? There is a big shift in the technology as the performance, size and features of the vehicle have been revamped. I think there is also a maturity in the market where acceptance of the technology is going to be higher. Likewise, the response I have been receiving in the past few days is quite positive. We are here for a big picture in long terms and I think we will need some time to set the concept. But we see, in next four-five years, electric vehicles will have a large part. For us, it is not about just coming overnight but trying to see how we can build the brand, consumers and work with the government. We want to build an ecosystem to create a sustainable mobility solution with Kathmandu valley and beyond that. How is e2o different from other Reva models? There is a big shift in all the aspects — from design, styling, technology to size. It is a design for the global market. The vehicle uses next-generation lithium battery which is around three-four times lighter and has three times longer range with no maintenance. Batteries are always going to be a challenge. This battery lasts over 100,000 km, so it gives better usability. Full charge can be done in just five hours and has higher performance and power. The battery is a key area. The car has over 10 on-board computers highly sophisticated to manage the flow of energy and also to give you good level of connectivity. So you can be connected to your smartphones to use your air conditioner or your features of how much range you have. Or even if you fall short of energy, a special bottom in your phone will get you emergency energy. It also has new styling and various other exciting features. Electric vehicles have a niche market. Will they be able to replace conventional vehicles running on fossil fuels? Do you think e2o will be a step forward in that direction? I think it is a step forward. In the next three to five years, both products will cœxist. People will have to travel long distances and will need larger vehicles to do that. But if I think of places like Kathmandu or Pokhara, electric vehicles are ideal. And, over time as we introduce more vehicles with more range with luxury features and performance, the market will be more mature. One of the major concerns for electric vehicle makers is the government support. How important is governments’ role in promoting EVs? The role of the government is very big. Although the total cost of operation of electric vehicle is low, people have to adapt to the new technology and for that the government support and conviction is important. In Norway, 18 months ago, only 0.2 percent cars sold were electric, and in the last months around 5 percent of all cares sold were electric. Norway has 110 percent tax on normal cars, but the tax on electric variants is zero. So Nepal has similarities from prospective where environment is very critical and you don’t manufacture cars. While the government has already made moves by reducing import duty on electric vehicles, I think bringing that down, somewhere close to zero, will enable adoption of electric transportation. It will also reduce the consumption of fuel which is also being imported, so it can compensate that area. The other area where the government can play a lot of role is infrastructure. Today, with the fact that electric vehicles can be charged with solar energy, supporting the building of solar charging system means the country can be independent of energy and environmental issues. How has your alliance with Mahindra been so far? I am basically a technologist. But to make your technology dream true you need to be an entrepreneur. So you switch hats and roles. In 2009, I was at the Frankfurt Auto Show and there were around 40 odd electric cars being shown. And, I said the world has changed and there is large investment from big auto companies. We are a company which has developed core technologies and having a larger partner who thinks the same way would be very good. Mahindra, at the same time, had a large sustainable plan and they were also looking to expand space. So I had a meeting. Reva had a technology, while Mahindra had finance, distribution network, car financing side and supply chain areas to reduce cost. So the complimentary capabilities were coming together. And as a result, within past three years, we have put up a new plant for 30,000 vehicles. The e20 has come, and we are now electrifying Mahindra platforms for the future. So the alliance has been both ways. Where dœs the future lie. Is it the hybrid car or the electric car? Hybrid cars have engine-electric motor. Electric machines are 80-90 percent efficient and gasoline engines are 20 percent efficient. So as you make more electric smaller engines, you will get more efficiency and economy. I think hybrid is an interim solution. In certain markets where range is important and distance is very large, especially in the West, hybrid is a good solution. But in the long term, electric is the way, because the battery technology every year is getting 8 percent better and 8 percent lower the cost. So all of these will be coming into electric cars. Ten years from today, electric vehicles will be far more mainstream. Let’s talk about the Nepal market. Your partner in Nepal changed last year. Has this brought in a new dynamics here? Once we came with Mahindra Group, we tried to look at the global footprint of Mahindra and leverage that. Agni Incorporated has been Mahindra’s partner group for the past 22 years, and hence it was a good option for us. We are happy with this association. Product like this needs a lot more marketing push and we need a larger group for this. So I think our new partnership has been very helpful. What are the new initiatives you have been planning for the Nepal market? We are planning to introduce sun-to-car solution, where a three meter panel will give free energy to the car. In the next few months, this will be available. I think we can work with the government to put such stations in the city, then that would be ideal. We have so much of sun energy which can be used. CHETAN MAINI Founder and CEO, Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd FACE TO FACE