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PluginIndia Electric Vehicles

An Open letter to Mr Chetan Maini

18/7/2016

21 Comments

 
By Kedar Soman
Dear Mr. Chetan Maini,

You don’t know me. Yes, we both might be from India, but currently we live in different parts of the world, we probably speak different language at homes. But there is one thing common to us, a passion for electric vehicles. Because we both strongly believe that that is good thing for lots of reasons.

Well, you know all of that. And you were smart enough to start a electric car company way back in 90s. But then some things happened and at this moment you do not seem to be in the driving seat of that venture.
Picture
That’s the point that drove me to write this letter. We need to fix that. We need a person who is madly in love with electric cars to be in charge of making electric cars.

Why? Well, I am not going to go in to tons of reasons why electric cars need to be made. There are environmental reasons, there are national security reasons, there are human rights reasons. You know all of that.

I am going to make a different point.

I am currently residing in USA. There are giant car companies here. For long long time they were just in a slumber. Each one had tremendous money and knowledge invested in internal combustion engines. Each one sort of knew that others are too much invested in ICEs too and were not going to move away from burning gasoline anytime soon. Each one had no motivation to switch, so collectively the whole bunch had no reason to step up and make the switch to electric cars.

Here let me take a bit pedagogical tone. If we were to apply game theory to explain this social behavior, this would be a classic “Nash Equilibrium”, named after the great mathematician John Nash.
Wikipedia Quote -“In game theory, the Nash equilibrium is a solution concept of anon-cooperative game involving two or more players in which each player is assumed to know the equilibrium strategies of the other players, and no player has anything to gain by changing only his or her own strategy.”

So big auto players had anticipated each other’s strategy and had not much to gain by making electric vehicles, or at least they were not sure if the gains were worth the losses.

Then Tesla happened.

In less than a decade, the company shot to fame making world class electric cars that were selling like hot cakes and hogging all the headlines. People loved the cars and were willing to be on waiting list rather than buy available big name cars. In a span of two years model S went from nowhere to the top selling luxury car in the market.

Each of the big auto player knew that at least one other major player was going to emulate Tesla and make electric cars. And when one of them made a move, there was going to be someone else who would want to move, and if they became successful, perhaps more would make that move. And each big auto player knew that what they were thinking was exactly how everyone else was thinking too. At first they anticipated others not to change. Now they anticipated others to change.

In a nutshell, the risk of not doing anything exceeded the gains from doing so. The Nash equilibrium that allowed all of them to maintain status quo, had broken down.

So in less than five years after arrival of model S, there have been announcements of at least 20 electric cars that will hit the market in coming few years.

This is what needs to happen in India.

Even in India, at the moment there is a Nash Equilibrium. Automakers are repeating electric vehicle problems like parrots and are not interested in solving them. Mahindra, who builds E2O, is doing a spectacularly  terrible job in promoting it.

We need someone to deny the big Indian automakers the luxury of a comfortable status quo convenient for the bureaucratic corporate culture. We need someone to light fire under their asses. We need someone to break this Nash Equilibrium in India. We need a cultural change, a revolution in this particular sector.

This is why we need you. Because at the moment you are the only person we can think of that has capability and passion to do this. And if you did this, we assure you that we, the electric vehicle enthusiasts in India will work hard.  Do not for a moment doubt our numbers. I visit India regularly and I have met plenty of people who have talked to me about electric cars without knowing that I am die hard fan of EVs. I have met dentists who talked Electric cars while drilling my teeth.

​I have met elderly women who talked about electric cars while making tea for me. I have met 11 year old who wanted to be engineer so he could make electric cars. A few days back my cousin met a 97 year old woman who lived close to the river in Dahisar, Mumbai. That woman had lived in the area for her whole life and had swam and drank from the river in her childhood. She lamented the fact that you cannot cannot even go within 30 feet of the river because it’s so badly polluted. She does not know the world of high tech gadgets, but mention of anything that  will reduce pollution makes her eyes light up. So apart from tailpipe emissions, the issue of general pollution is in peoples’ minds and they want to make a statement whichever way they can. A good electric car just gives them an avenue to make a powerful statement.

What do you need? Crowdfunding? Done. Just start a page. You need grass root volunteers? Done. Just send a message on our board and social media. You need customers? Give us a good product and trust us , we will be waiting in line in rain. You need government support? Thing seem to be promising there too.

​Breaking down of Nash equilibrium under right conditions can create impact on much large scale, wildly disproportionate to the amount of effort exerted. We have those conditions in India at the moment. We need someone to pick up the hammer.
So Mr. Maini, we need an electric car revolution, and we want you to start it. Will you?


21 Comments
Farah
18/7/2016 02:37:51 pm

Agree!
We second Kedar's thoughts and experiences...

Reply
Raphae Halim
18/7/2016 07:42:21 pm

Wow! This open letter would have gotten me jumping if it was addressed to me. As one of the EV enthusiasts living in India, one totally agrees with Kedar's view. The Nash Equilibrium point is certainly very convincing. :-)

Reply
Kamlesh Mallick
18/7/2016 10:14:07 pm

Extremely touching letter Kedar !

Its passion that creates magic. A business minded corporate mentality will result in mediocrity and slow progress.

I believe that Mahindra Reva were beginning to do great things way back in 2014 under Mr Maini.

Mr Maini showcased all the wonderful technologies, new product demonstrations etc back in 2014.

These were ready to be used by the electric car community immediately.
Some of these technologies are :

a) DC Quick Charge Stations
b) Sun2Car
c) Car2Home
d) DC Quickcharge Ports on e2o's
e) Halo sports car concept

Almost 3 years since we haven't seen any of these technologies rolled out for users and this period 'coincided' with Mr Maini's exit.

So its imperative for Mr Maini to get back to disrupting the 'nash equilibrium', that exists in the Indian automobile industry and that includes Mahindra Electric.

What a brilliant blog. We hope Mr Chetan responds to this!

Reply
Karthik
19/7/2016 12:12:55 pm

Nicely written. Hits the nail on the head :) I hope this reaches Mr. Maini ASAP and grabs his attention.

Reply
Amey Pednekar
19/7/2016 01:35:49 pm

Honestly, Reva is a stupid car. Their business model itself is bad and even worse is the recruitment policy. When you are designing an electric vehicle, you need EV enthusiasts to work on it, not people who spent 90% of their career on IC engine vehicles.
Reva itself has entered that inertia loop from which getting out is difficult. If we want some really good EVs to come up, only way is through someone new, someone who doesn't have the inertia knowledge or experience of IC engines. I myself work for a company who are trying to bring in electrification in vehicles in India but through hybrids, which I feel are stupid. Their reasons for working on hybrids are stupid as well. That is why I strongly feel there has to be new player in the market, just like Tesla was when it started

Reply
Sateesh Reddy
19/7/2016 05:05:41 pm

The point of this letter is that there has to be a new player!

Reply
Hemang
19/7/2016 05:44:44 pm

Hello
True about a stupid car
But which one the past Reva
Or the present Reva e2o

Reply
mahalingappa ambi
21/7/2016 09:53:12 pm

Yes i agree with the letter, we all need a good product, just a good product with promising life, without much fancy things.

Reply
Pratap Jayaram
21/7/2016 10:08:04 pm

Cmon Chetan Maini, let's start another revolution. Reva reborn part 2. If you are in it I'm on !!!

Reply
Kamlesh Mallick
21/7/2016 10:33:19 pm

Hi Guys,

Just an update Mr Chetan has read the letter and said it was very touching.
He will give us an update soon!

Watch this space!

Reply
Manish vora
22/7/2016 09:50:48 am

Hiho,i agree its a appropriate Open letter for Mani but also feel there are hundreds of new mani and we should ourself find how to put new ideas to work for electric cars ,so that not only on paper to have all elctric cars as announce by govt by 2022.
I am shortly going to put in place a startup project to kickstart the journey to achieve the same,maybe our small efforts coyld add full to start a electric car moment in India

Reply
Kedar link
2/9/2016 03:08:43 am

Hello Manish,

Please keep us updated about your efforts. All the best to you. If there is anything we can help in, let us know.

Reply
Manish vora
22/7/2016 10:20:51 am

Sorry Not Mani but Chetan Mainisir,agreevto kamlesh comment for car2home n dc charging stations.

Reply
Sumant Pathak
22/7/2016 12:24:22 pm

Yes, Revolution awaits in many related fields.
Count me in.

Reply
Manish Vora
22/7/2016 01:10:37 pm

Chetanji is supporting electric car startup now too and has made investment and is director and brought i
Zipcar owner to invest in this bangalore startup.

Reply
Praveen Roy link
23/7/2016 03:48:47 pm

We have EV enthusiasts in India who been working on not just Electric but smart Scooters, to replace the old IC Bike/Scooters...
In India it makes sense to try scooters 1st and once ppl knw how gr8 these are... they can move on too cars and even public transportation...
Ather Energy showcased there tech and there 1st model "S340" @ Surge 2016, which is soon to be under production in 2017...

Looking fwd to a more sustainable and smart vehicles in the Future....

Regards
Roy.

Reply
PlugInCaroo
26/7/2016 06:29:49 pm

Mahindra must have taken in writing from him not to invest or start any similar electric cars business. His hands are tied.

Perhaps he can start a scooter... oops Mahindra already does it with GenZe... so he cant do that either...

Maybe Mall-carts, Buggies, ATVs or trikes... wouldn't those be fun?

In a country that makes 50% of the world's engineers surely there must be somebody to take the baton forward from Chetan.

Chetan is a legend... yesterday, today and forever... he has fought for his dream every single day since building the first car... If he returns with some major design it would just be awesome!

Reply
Hemang Shah
28/7/2016 04:58:31 pm

Check Altigreen Propulsion labs, Bangalore
A start up with Chetan Maini on board.
Making retro fits for hybrid drive

Reply
Kedar link
2/9/2016 03:12:09 am

Hemang,

I checked the website of the company your mentioned. But didn't find Mr. Maini in their team. Are you sure?

Reply
Manish Vora
7/9/2016 04:04:30 pm

M&M rebrands electric mobility biz as Mahindra Electric Under the umbrella brand Mahindra Electric, the company will manufacture electric cars, license out electric vehicle technologies, electrify new and existing platforms and help deliver integrated zero emission mobility solutions. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has rebranded its electric mobility portfolio as Mahindra Electric aiming for a greater focus on technology and launch more electric models, besides supplying powertrains to other manufacturers. Under the umbrella brand Mahindra Electric, the company will manufacture electric cars, license out electric vehicle technologies, electrify new and existing platforms and help deliver integrated zero emission mobility solutions. "Besides powering our own vehicles, we will also be supplying such electric powertrains to others. It will give economy of scale to this business," Mahindra Reva Chief Executive Officer Arvind Mathew told PTI. The company, which currently sells electric models like e20 and Verito, also plans to launch an electric version of its minivan Supro in the next 2-3 months. Mahindra Supro is a 7-seater which is used both in cargo and passenger vehicle space. When asked if the company is in talks with any of the domestic manufacturers to supply electric powertrains, Mathew said: "Not yet". Besides, Mahindra Electric also plans to scale up its international business going ahead. "We are trying to get into the Chinese market. In recent times, it has grown immensely. We would like to enter the market with a reliable partner there," Mathew said. Mahindra is expected to power some of its new and existing vehicles with the latest electric drivetrain technology from Mahindra Electric. "As the pioneer of electric vehicles and integrated mobility solutions in India, we have laid out a clear roadmap for the electrification of our range of vehicles to reduce emission and build an eco-system for electric mobility in India," Mathew said. With the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India) scheme, the government has already set in motion a conducive environment which has led the company to expect a faster adoption of electric vehicles in the country, he added. "I am confident that progressive government policies as well as speedy and adequate infrastructure development will enable us to embrace new technologies that are green and sustainable," Mathew said.

Read more at: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/mm-rebrands-electric-mobility-biz-as-mahindra-electric_7420861.html?utm_source=ref_article

Reply
Takeshi Matsubara
17/9/2016 12:20:32 pm

Hi Chetan,
I understand your remarkable feat has moved many Indian’s hearts. Once you decide to fight back, many people will rush over to your side to support you. Of course I am waiting your call too.

Reply

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