In an exclusive conversation, Namit Jain, Founder and CEO, Zen Mobility delves into the recent achievements and future plans of the company. Jain shares insights into how an expansion will impact the company, the evolution of the Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) industry in India, and the challenges faced by EV makers. 

This is a significant milestone for Zen Mobility as an organisation since it enables the company to start manufacturing at a large scale. With a capacity of over 30,000 units, we are now in a position to supply vehicles across the country. In the last three months, we have expanded our presence to over 11 cities with close to 1,000 vehicles deployed.

In the early years, EVs were primarily built in countries like China and imported here in CKD kit versions. There was no R&D being done locally in India. This is still the case with the majority of EV companies today. However, now there are a few emerging companies that are investing in R&D and building new innovative products purpose-built for Indian conditions and the Indian market. There has been a boom of suppliers for multiple components like chassis, batteries, electronics, etc. Customers are now expecting high quality at affordable prices. Charging infrastructure has also seen a drastic change in the last few years, with many companies developing charging and swapping infrastructure.

One of the key challenges is building EVs that are robust and long-lasting. This requires extensive testing and validation of the vehicles before they are launched in the market. Second is after-sales service, which is crucial for the upkeep of the vehicles currently on the road. Finally, the supply chain for a few selected electronics is still a challenge since these are still imported from China and need to be localised.

Government initiatives have always helped the EV industry; they act as a catalyst for the growth and adoption of EVs in the country. Now it is time for FAME III to be launched, and this will be very important as there are now many organised players in the industry. Through FAME, the government can really push the switch from ICE to electric by providing subsidies to lower prices further and aid adoption.

Zen Mobility is a complete solution provider of EVs. Having launched the first product, the Zen Micro Pod, we are confident in our solutions and services that we provide to customers. This enables us to build further variants for multiple use cases and applications. Our focus has been on customisation and providing reliable products best suited for the needs of society and the environment. Through product innovation and new technologies, Zen Mobility can bring a variety of solutions to the market.