Bangalore startup launches low-cost EV charging station, aims 470 chargers across India

Bangalore-based EV startup, FAE Bikes has announced the launch of 'Kirana Charzer', a low-cost, smart EV charging station focused on enabling small shops and individuals to install their own charging stations and generate additional income. The installations will begin from March, with the first Kirana Charzer coming up in Bangalore.

The Dheeraj Reddy, Sameer Ranjan Jaiswal and Yugraj Shukla are the founders of FAE Bikes and the company says, the low-cost, smart EV charging station costs around Rs 10,000 each and is focused on enabling small shops and individuals to install their own charging stations and generate additional income. FAE Bikes launched the charging station at MOVE 2020, which acts as a global stage for startups to connect with the world’s most influential companies, investors and media. MOVE is sponsored by companies such as Shell, Paypal, BP, Toyota Connected, and was attended by mobility giants such as Skoda, Tata Motors, Uber, Volvo, Audi and Google among others.

During his presentation, Jaiswal said, “There is an urgent need for millions of charging stations in India. We want to do our part in growing the ecosystem and plan to install 100,000 charging stations in 2020. In the pilot stage, we have received orders for 470 charging stations. We have also partnered with EV Manufacturers Hero Electric and Jitendra EV Tech and will provide free subscription for their users in Charzer app for 60 days.”

Kirana Charzer is claimed to be a compact, zero-maintenance and IoT enabled charging station which is offered at a subsidised price of Rs 10,000, probably India’s cheapest charging station that allows the owner to earn 100 percent revenue from EV charging.  As part of the company's plan to deploy EV charging stations across the country, it has launched an online charging platform 'Charzer.com'.

FAE Bikes has raised investments from investors in India, Europe, and the USA. Highlighting the rationale of investment, Jaiswal added, “Charging stations are the petrol pumps of the future and we want the common man to benefit from it instead of the select few. Real scale and adoption can only happen if the general public gets involved in setting up the charging infrastructure. We have designed Kirana Charzer keeping these issues in mind.”

The company claims the Kirana Charzer can be installed anywhere including small shops, grocery stores, restaurants and homes with standard power supply. It is compatible with all two-wheeler, three-wheeler and four-wheeler EVs. The Kirana Charzer owners will also be able to set their own prices through the company app. EV users will be able to locate these charging stations, reserve, pay and operate from the Charzer app.