The world has been talking about electric vehicles (EVs) for so many years now, yet we hardly spot any on the road. Soon, things are going to change. And the start-up RACEnergy wants to be at the forefront of that change. They have already taken the first solid step towards it — they launched their first battery-swapping station at HITEC City just last month, where the EVs swap their empty batteries with fully-charged ones! "We realised that there are two categories of problems in the EV market, first is the cost-factor and then there is the high recharge time. So, we knew that battery swapping would be a real boon because it imitates the whole filling-petrol experience and it solves the proverbial chicken or egg problem, wherein no one wants to build an EV because there is no infrastructure and no one wants to set up the infrastructure because there are no EVs," says Arun Sreyas, the Co-founder of RACEnergy.
Though the swapping station for three-wheelers is just a pilot project for now, RACEnergy will officially launch in February or March 2021. Per swap, one gets a range of 100 km. "Once the driver pulls up at the platform, a number of authentications take place before the batteries are swapped," explains the 25-year-old who launched the start-up in 2018 with Gautham Maheswaran. Not just this, one can convert their three-wheeler into an EV with their electric powertrain solution for `50,000 at their station. Motor controller, high-voltage safety system, batteries — everything that the conversion might take is available in this 12 sq ft swapping station and the conversion can happen in a matter of one to one and a half hours. "We have been receiving a lot of interest from potential customers and are offering several demonstrations as well. Judging by their response and intent, we feel pretty confident," says the alumnus of BITS Pilani who pursued Mechanical Engineering and who has built six cars from scratch since the age of 17.
"Building automotive products is a hard problem because though the customers are interested in buying them, EVs need to offer the same smooth and silent experience that a regular vehicle offers. So it's just a matter of time," answers Arun when we ask him when he thinks we will be able to spot EVs on the road. "We have been passionate about automobiles for a long time now and though we are yet to hit the market in full force, this is a dream come true for us. Building the EV from scratch and looking at customers' happiness pays for all the hard work that we pour in," says the entrepreneur, who, apart from the swapping station, has a one-acre facility in Hyderabad complete with ramps, vibration tracks and more. Now, this is one start-up we will be looking out for.
Know what you don't about RACEnergy:
- Accelerated by Gurugram-based incubator, Huddle
- Raised from investors like growX ventures, Prophetic Ventures
- Angel investors Ananth Nakirikanti and Sidhartha Namburi contributed too
For more on them, check out racenergy.in