‘Kinetic Green to become a 10K cr company in the next 10-15 years’

Sulajja Firodia Motwani, R N Bhaskar, Jescilia

a third-generation scion of the Firodia family, has seen the opportunity that COVID has brought for her company Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions. She is determined that this is ‘the time’ for electric vehicles. Thus, the role of Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions will be immensely significant during this period. In an interview with and she talks about the plans to reach Indian masses and create a positive impact on the environment. Edited excerpts:

With our entry into two-wheelers which we are planning in the near future, we will continue to invest in the products. In the next three-fours years, an investment of Rs 200-300 crore will be made.

Karayamparambil How many units has produced so far? Kinetic Green

Kinetic Green is one the pioneering companies in the area of electric mobility. We have a certified electric vehicle R&D centre.

We have set up a large manufacturing facility in Ahmednagar where we have a capacity of around 5,0006,000 vehicles per month. We source 100 per cent of our needs locally. We have manufactured close to 30,000 vehicles which were sold across the country.

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Our flagship product is Kinetic ethree wheeler/ e-rickshaw. This is a locally made product. We have sold 20,000 of these vehicles. They come with lithium batteries — fixed and swappable battery options. The battery swapping technology has been adopted by us in partnership with BPCL. The battery swapping can take place at BPCL stations. Thus, the buyer can buy this e-rickshaw for Rs 1 lakh without the battery. This battery can be taken as per the fuel needs from the BPCL stations. Our next solution is cargo solution. We have recently introduced a one tonne vehicle which can carry 500 kgs of cargo. We are expecting a great boom in this range with rising focus on home delivery of products. E-commerce companies are looking at making their transport green and sustainable. This range is slated for great adoption in the coming years. Our vehicle can be used for waste collection and mobile cafeteria as well. We have also introduced a Kinetic ecycle. It can be used for cargo and the people. This vehicle is priced at Rs 20,000 including the battery.

Tell us about your products.

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We recently signed a joint venture with Italy’s Lamborghini. It is a venture with the Lamborghini family through Tonino Lamborghini. We are delivering a range of golf carts

What are the upcoming projects?

and buggies. This product will be designed in Italy, manufactured in India and sold around the world. We are looking at developing products more like a street buggy — it is street legal in countries like the United States. So, we will produce such products in India and export to globe countries.

• Where does the industry for electric mobility stand today?

Already 15 per cent of three-wheelers are electric and only one or two per cent of two-wheelers are electric. According to various reports, this is the decade of electric vehicles. There are favourable government policies now to encourage the system. The cost of electric mobility has been coming down drastically.

With every passing year, electric vehicles will become mainstream. Kinetic Green, which is a Rs 200 crore company, will be a Rs 10,000 crore company in the next 10-15 years.

• What are the investments made in the company and upcoming investments plans?

Kinetic Green is owned by the promoters and there are no other investors yet. We have invested between Rs 80-100 crore.

• What has been the impact of COVID19? How do you see it work in your favour in the long-run?

It did have a short-term impact on us — our companies and dealerships were shut down for a few months. The passenger segment was also affected as the metros were shut down. We were not impacted greatly due to cash burn or fixed cost.

We used this as an opportunity to quickly accelerate a new range of product, cargo vehicles, as we realised there will be a rise in home delivery. We also developed vehicles for the grocery selling and disinfection process. We put such vehicles out to keep the momentum across our dealership.

People becoming more environmentally conscious will work in the favour of electric vehicles going forward. Today people are aware what drop in pollution has on the environment.

In the long-run, this (COVID impact) will be positive. Of course, in the short and medium term, it has impacted everyone. We are quite bullish and the year 2021 will be a better year for everyone.

• What are your targets globally?

Globally in Africa, South America and South Asia, there is no policy for EVs. We are lobbying with the governments and asking them to make EVs more favourable. After twothree years, we are looking at exporting three wheelers as well. Our golf cart will be export-oriented from day one. Globally, the golf cart industry is a USD 3 billion industry even though in India it is too small. We are looking at reaching the top line of Rs 700 crore in the next four years in the golf cart venture.