ReadyAssist, an autotech startup plans to invest $8 million (Rs 59 crore) over a year to augment EV infrastructure in the country by setting-up Grid, a phygital store (physical store augmented by digital capabilities) in 200 prime locations across top 10 cities in India.

The Grid will have in-house quick service kiosk, battery swap facilities, EV charging infrastructure for two- and four-wheelers. It will also act as a customer experience centre for brands.

ReadyAssist says it is trying to bring clean tech closer to customers. The company claims it has already upskilled thousands of mechanics on EV capabilities to service its road-side assistance (RSA) and AMC customers across India. This new service aims to extend roadside emergency assistance to the EV segment along with strengthening EV charging/swapping infrastructure. This will be achieved on the back of robust business process, deep tech and optimisation of ground operations.

Vimal Singh, founder and CEO, ReadyAssist said “India is today a home to more than 1 million EV vehicles. We are in the early stage of adoption and transition from fuel vehicles. Today, the biggest consumer barrier when it comes to opting for an EV is range anxiety and vehicle performance. OEMs are already very committed towards building better EVs everyday by heavily investing on the R&D front. We, at ReadyAssist, believe it is also our duty to add value to the customers and the ecosystem by investing and innovating on the EV service offerings and its infrastructure.”

Launched in 2019, ReadyAssist claims it has successfully attended more than 1,000,000 incidents from its inception growing from 20 mechanics to more than 5,000 mechanics covering more than 700 districts and 19,000 pin codes in the country. It also provides all-India roadside assistance to electric vehicles across 5,000 locations.