1. Komaki registers a 100% growth in revenue in 2022. The company is planning an EV charging network now.

The annual revenue of EV maker ‘Komaki’ jumped from Rs 147 crore in 2021 to Rs 298 crore in 2022. This 100% growth in revenue has made Komaki one of India’s fastest growing electric two-wheeler brands. Komaki’s top management credits the company’s potent performance to its R&D division, especially in the battery unit. The company has seen a notable increase in sales after the launch of its ‘LiFePO4’ battery, which is now being used in most of Komaki’s electric 2-wheelers.

The company is also working on setting-up an EV charging network in the country and has earmarked an investment of Rs 75 crore to install 45,000 charging points by December 2023.

2. ITC WelcomHeritage hotels collaborate with SunFuel for EV charging stations.

WelcomHeritage Hotels, a JV between ITC and Jodhana Heritage Resorts, have joined hands with SunFuel Electric, to set up EV charging stations across its properties in India. An agreement signing ceremony was held on March 15 between Gul Panag, Co-Founder, SunFuel & Abinash Manghani, CEO of WelcomHeritage. WelcomHeritage aims to provide guests drivable itineraries from Delhi to its properties in Panchkula, Kasauli, Solan & Shimla. Guests with EVs & PHEVs will be able to enjoy drives to these WelcomHeritage destinations without range anxiety.

Sunfuel Electric gave a statement: “If we have to catalyse the adoption of high-end electric vehicles in India, then luxury hotels and resorts need to be equipped with a seamless Destination Charging experience. At SunFuel, we are striving to create that experience at scale.”

3. Ather Grid EV chargers to have a charging cut-off at 80%.

Ather Grid public EV chargers will now have a charging cut-off at 80%. As per Ather, this will ‘shorten lines at the chargers and aid in fair usage for everyone’. Once the EV is 80% charged, the Ather Grid charger will automatically unlock from the scooter. The CMS will suspend the power supply after the battery reaches 80% charge. The company hopes that this step will make EV owners more responsible and will help ingrain the habit of charging EVs at homes to 100%. Electric vehicle industry experts stated that this step will make EVs even more sustainable. Ather’s CEO Tarun Mehta tweeted the following:

Ather plans to install more than 2500 EV chargers throughout the country in 2023.

4. Pulse Energy introduces WhatsApp payment for EV charging.

Hong Kong-based WATI (WhatsApp Team Inbox), an end-to-end WhatsApp API solution provider, has announced a tie-up with EV charging aggregator Pulse Energy. WATI has built a WhatsApp-based ‘customer engagement platform’ with integrated WhatsApp Payments. WATI has powered Pulse Energy with the same and introduced a simple WhatsApp-based chatbot to start, stop & pay for EV charging. CPOs/Merchants can now build custom chatbots without coding, from easy-to-replicate templates. EV users can simply scan the QR code and pay using WhatsApp Payments to begin charging.

5. Gati ties-up with IKEA to provide EV fleet-led last-mile delivery.

Logistics company Gati has joined hands with IKEA to provide its EV fleet for delivery services in Bangalore.

Gati has plans of converting its entire fleet to electric by 2025 and is already setting-up EV charging infrastructure at its warehouses. These EV charging stations will totally run on solar power, as the warehouses already have solar panels installed to generate solar power for day-to-day operations.

For complete EV charging solutions, explore the Kazam website.