Telecom Power Expertise Gave us a Head Start in EV Charging: Exicom MD Anant Nahata

Exicom Tele-Systems Limited believes its decades-long experience in telecom power electronics has given it a natural technological advantage in the fast-growing EV charging segment, according to its CEO and MD, Anant Nahata.

Speaking in an exclusive interaction with Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the inauguration of the company’s new integrated manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, Nahata said the technological foundation of telecom power systems closely overlaps with that of EV chargers.

“EV chargers are fundamentally power conversion systems. In telecom power, we convert AC to DC at lower voltage levels, while in EV charging we do the same AC to DC conversion but at much higher voltage ranges,” Nahata said.

This technological similarity, he explained, has allowed the company to leverage its existing engineering capabilities, supply chains and manufacturing processes while entering the EV charging space.

“Nearly 85 to 95 percent of the vendor base is common between telecom power systems and EV chargers. The development processes, validation systems and even the manufacturing flow are very similar,” he said.

The company recently inaugurated a new integrated manufacturing facility in Hyderabad with an investment of ₹216 crore, aimed at scaling production of EV chargers and critical power solutions. The plant spans 18.4 acres with a built-up area of about 280,000 square feet and will increase Exicom’s manufacturing capacity by 2.5 times in the first phase while creating more than 750 jobs.

Nahata said the facility is designed as a common manufacturing base for both telecom power and EV charging products. “The facility is essentially a power management systems production centre. The products may manifest as EV chargers or telecom power systems, but the PCBA manufacturing processes, testing infrastructure and engineering skill sets are largely common,” he said.

Such integration also allows the company to optimise costs and scale operations more efficiently.

“By running these two businesses together, we can distribute fixed operational costs over a larger revenue base and invest more aggressively in manufacturing infrastructure,” he added.

Localisation remains a key priority for the company as India builds out its EV charging ecosystem.

Nahata said Exicom has already achieved high levels of localisation in AC chargers, with the only major imports being semiconductor components that currently lack a domestic supply chain.

“For AC chargers, we have localised almost everything that can realistically be localised. The only imports are semiconductor components which do not yet have a supply chain in India,” he said.

For DC fast chargers, localisation levels are currently around 60 percent, though the company is working with domestic partners to increase this further.

A key differentiator for Exicom, according to Nahata, is the company’s decision to design and manufacture the core electronics architecture of its chargers in-house.

“Every PCBA board inside the charger, including the controller and the main intelligence that controls the charger, is our own IP and is manufactured at our plant,” he said.

“If you don’t control the intelligence of the charger, you become an assembler rather than a product owner.”

The company currently holds a significant share of India’s AC home charger market and is expanding its presence in DC fast charging infrastructure as EV adoption increases.

Nahata said electric passenger vehicles in India currently account for roughly 5 percent penetration, but he sees a clear pathway toward 15 percent adoption in the coming years.

“EV adoption in India is growing at around 40 percent year on year. With more models coming from trusted manufacturers and charging infrastructure expanding, the growth prospects remain very strong,” he said.

While competition from global and Chinese players is expected as the market grows, Nahata said Exicom’s focus on technology, localisation and manufacturing scale will remain central to its strategy.

“Competition is always there. We have competed with large global players, Chinese manufacturers and domestic companies. Our focus is on building better technology and delivering value to customers,” he said.

With the Hyderabad facility designed for future expansion, the company expects it to play a key role in supporting India’s EV charging rollout while strengthening the country’s broader power electronics manufacturing ecosystem.