'E-3wheelers not aspirational, but make money': Amit Singh, head, 3W division, Altigreen Propulsion Labs

'E-3wheelers are not an aspirational product but one that makes money," says Amit Singh, Head, New Initiatives of the three wheeler division of Altigreen Propulsion Labs. Talking at the Inner Circle Bengaluru event organised by Autocar Professional and Autodesk, he said this is “an informal mode of transport, which people don’t understand. What is the value proposition for the end customer? He makes more money at the end of the day. If he is making more money, naturally, acceptance is higher,” he noted.

The challenges are more ground-driven in terms of the availability of electricity, and how to make it more economical, among other factors.  If you look at all of this in a complete nutshell, when you combine the battery charging, and swapping ecosystem and start delivering it to the end customer, it becomes a product that is very difficult to ignore. And the fact that it has been able to penetrate faster than CNG, it's something which is going to happen, is already happening and is only a matter of time till you stop seeing the ICE incumbents on the road.

Talking about how govt EV policies can be bettered, he states that policies are supposed to be inclusive. He suggested that money can be allocated in tech, or for a product like theirs, in a way that reduces the financial burden. “Allocate the money in some places where the end customer benefits.” Taking the example of FAME, he said to give enough information beforehand if something is going to happen.