Interview - Walk the talk
Priyank Dahanukar
CEO at Electric Vehicle India Electric Vehicle India (EVI), is an innovative startup from Mumbai, founded by Priyank Dahanukar. They have have designed and developed a plugin hybrid kit to convert existing oil based vehicle into a electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. A majority of the electric cars on the road in America and other countries are conversion vehicles. People with an interest in electric cars convert existing oil powered cars to electric in their backyards and garages. However the story is different in India. Any such conversion project will have to be approved by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). As of 2013, there are no norms for conversion of an existing petrol/diesel vehicle to run on an electric motor. |
EVI plans to change all of that. They are pursuing the licenses needed to legalize EV conversion kits in India. Once that happens, individuals can get their oil based cars and get them to run on electricity.
EVI is working on the validation programs that will fully meet the required automotive standards and is in talks with various OEMs and vehicle integrator's. EVI is also developing systems suitable for next generation’s light sport vehicles. They have also filed patents for the technology developed.
PluginIndia.com spoke to Priyank about the plans for EVI and other topics
EVI is working on the validation programs that will fully meet the required automotive standards and is in talks with various OEMs and vehicle integrator's. EVI is also developing systems suitable for next generation’s light sport vehicles. They have also filed patents for the technology developed.
PluginIndia.com spoke to Priyank about the plans for EVI and other topics
- Please tell us how you started the company - Electric Vehicle India, how the company has developed since then and what is the company doing currently?
and then developed the new motors which are able to sustain high torque with low rpms which is necessary for automobile
purposes.
- Tell us more about your Conversion Kit. What are the components that go into the Conversion kit?
the vehicle. The kit is primary for cars, commercial vehicles, buses, boats etc. But our individual motor and controller can be used
for any kind of transportation vehicle.
- Can this kit be used for oil based bikes too?
their bikes run at par the petrol driven bikes . A superbike can also be developed using our kit.
- What components of the conversion kit are manufactured in-house and what components are purchased from outside? Do you import components like the Motors, Controller, BMS etc?
vendors. Batteries are imported.
- When it comes to conversions, how flexible is your kit to accept customization requests?
For example, most AC motors marketed for EVs come with a controller, but some customers would like have a different controller, or some customers would prefer a battery-pack with more energy stored (kWh) in it but compensate on the power,
some customers would prefer a clutch instead of an automatic transmission etc.
These standard packs are very much sufficient for running vehicles. Additional battery packs can be added at extra cost.
- When batteries are placed inside the car does it affect the balance of the car and does it affect the driving, suspension, sudden breaking etc? This could especially be a concern for hybrid conversions.
pack is installed in the luggage compartment of the vehicle which is built to take in more weight without any change in the drive
feel.
- What is the weight of the conversion kit that will be placed inside the car?
- How does the conversion from a oil based car to an electric, stand with the Traffic Department? As of now, is it legal to change a car from Petrol to Electric?
But we are able to do projects in Europe and Africa as the government is very flexible with less red tape policies.
- Can you highlight a successful implementation of this kit in India or Abroad?
We are in talks with Indian OEM's.
- Once the licenses/permits are granted and you are ready to sell the kit, assume a customer walks in and would like to convert his/her Tata Nano into a pure EV. What would be the specification of each individual components like the motor, battery, controller etc, which could convert the Nano into a pure electric vehicle? What would be the estimated price?
We do suggestions based on the vehicle. EVI has developed 6 different kits for different 'cc' of vehicles and accordingly we will be
suggesting the kit to the customer.
Cost will again vary depending on the vehicle. But it is EVI’s commitment to deliver the best product at a competitive price
- Do you have any plans to get into other aspects of the EV business like - creating and selling an electric car/e-bike?
Right now we wish to focus on EV Power-trains.
- How do you envision the future of your company Electric Vehicle India, in say 3-5 years?
Contact Electric Vehicle India
172, Second Floor, Sunrays Shopping Center, Charkop Market, Kandivli West. Mumbai 400067 Phone : 08097881678 Email : info@electricvehicleindia.com / electricvehicleindia@gmail.com Website : http://www.electricvehicleindia.com Blog : http://electricvehicleindia.wordpress.com/ Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/electricvehicleindia |