American EV startup to enter India, Pankaj Dubey to lead the charge

USA-headquartered start-up Power Global has announced plans to enter the Indian electric vehicle market. It is in the process of setting up a manufacturing and engineering setup in India with a focus on liquid-cool lithium-ion battery modules, engineered specifically for the two- and three-wheeler market.

The company says over the last year it has defined solutions for various markets and developed prototypes for trials and production next year. To lead the company’s India plans, Power Global has recruited Pankaj Dubey, former head of Polaris India, who has also worked with India Yamaha Motor.

Porter Harris, founder and CEO, Power Global, “We are in the process of building up the company within India and working towards 100 percent designed and made in India. It is important that our employees are passionate about sustainability and developing clean energy solutions for both mobile and stationary applications. We plan on having a battery manufacturing plant capable of 1GWh/yr to start (equivalent to around 10,000 Tesla P100 battery packs), as well as an engineering group focused on research and development and product development within the sustainable and renewable energy technology markets. Power Global’s first product is focused on the auto rickshaw market and bringing that market to full electrification. Targeting petrol and diesel-based vehicles, we are developing a retrofit kit that can be used to convert the majority of the existing auto rickshaws to full performance electric with a high top-speed and acceleration better than existing auto rickshaws. The patent-pending solution utilises a mix of battery swapping and on-board charging technology and will be cost-effective for any driver that drives more than 60km per day. With a retrofit cost less than 40 percent the cost of a new vehicle and daily costs 25-30% lower than current costs, and near-zero maintenance costs, we believe this is a game-changer. We are also looking to work with auto rickshaw OEM’s to support new vehicle sales.”

Harris said, “Dubey is an unmistakable leader with proven executive experience and, importantly, one who holds the same values as Power Global. Dubey was employee number one at Polaris India, (100% subsidiary of Polaris, a Fortune 500 company) and as MD & Country Head, he built the company from its humble beginnings up to what it is today. As the National Busines Head of Yamaha, he was credited with the turnaround of the two-wheeler business and created the distribution model of the Yamaha bike station.”

Pankaj Dubey said, “Power Global is on a mission to launch products and services that ensure access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy for all, and I am happy to join this mission and look forward to making it a great success. We believe that with access to clean energy comes economic growth, human development and environmental sustainability, and I am confident that India will hugely benefit from the solutions of Power Global. I am excited to build the brand and contribute to the electric vehicle industry.”