Non-availability of charging stations is always blamed for the slow adaption of electric vehicles in India. However, the limited numbers of EVs running on the road keep charging station companies in limbo. For charging station operators, especially private ones, aggressive business investments are still a big gamble. However, according to Varun Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, Volttic, charging stations’ numbers depend on EVs’ penetration in India. “Instead of discussing the classic chicken and egg problem and comparing the Indian EV market with the western market, we need to understand the penetration of EVs and charging stations will happen simultaneously,” says Chaturvedi.

The electric vehicle charging stations market is expected to exceed more than USD 30 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 40%. As per a rough estimation, currently, there are around 1,000 Bharat DC001 charging stations and over 1,000 Bharat AC001 charging stations are available in India.

The Indian Government also announced its intention to set up at least one e-charging kiosk at around 69,000 petrol stations across India.

Volttic is a leading charge point operator (CPO) in India running EV charging stations pan India. The company provides complete end-to-end EV charging solutions for home and commercial segments.

“Volttic focuses a business strategy which benefits for all- OEs, EV owners and us,” adds Chaturvedi.

The company is consciously setting up EV charging stations with customised solutions on demand in the country. “Rather than putting charging infrastructures where nobody comes, we are tying up with people who are ready to use our solutions,” he explains.

The company is currently focusing on fleet operators, which Chaturvedi predicts, will have faster growth in India when it comes to the EV adoption. As of now, Volttic’s dedicated charging and public charging stations ratio is 80 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

In the B2B segment, Volttic’s clients are employee transporters, while in the B2C, the company serves taxi fleets.

“We are strategically deploying our charging stations to relieve our customers from range anxiety and carry smooth transportation without breakdown,” he says.

Having a background of electrical engineering, his core expertise is in electrical equipment, chargers, batteries, and the power sector. Elaborating his decision to venture into the EV charging station business, he says, “In 2016-17, there were hardly any players in the EV charging station business, though it was gaining momentum in Europe and the US. The charging station business was relatively new in India then, and everybody had to start from scratch, which provided equal challenges and opportunities. Being an entrepreneur, you should adopt a business where you have the expertise and control over the technologies. We knew the EV charging station will mostly evolve on as a service.”

Volttic’s Co-founder, Surendar Pratap Singh, too comes from the electric background, while the other co-founder, Shweta Chaturvedi, hails from the software industry. “Having the background of hardware and software, we are completely self-dependent in the EV charging supply chain,” Chaturvedi adds.

However, challenges are larger in deploying public EV charging stations compared with dedicated ones. Explaining the challenges further, Chaturvedi says, “Generally, two to three days are needed to set up a dedicated EV charging station in a corporate premise as most of the infrastructure such as power supply, wiring and parking space is readily available. However, when it comes to a public domain, we have to spend months scouting a location, then getting power supply from DISCOM takes time as well.”

EV charging takes more time than gasoline refuelling, and EV consumers expect to have charging station points at their preferred locations, time, and price to avoid range anxiety. Chaturvedi added that public EV charging stations should be deployed in public spaces such as malls, restaurants, hotels, shopping complexes and others where they can indulge in other recreational activities while the vehicles are being charged.

The company provides technology-oriented solutions consist of Bharat DC01 & Bharat AC01, CCS2 Chargers & ChadeMo Chargers to serve the clients’ needs. Currently, it operates around 123 charging points AC/ DC mix and plans to order around 50 double guns fast chargers with 100 charging points in the next couple of months. In the next five years by 2025, Volttic aims to have around 5,000 plus machines with double guns. “So, if we talk about charging points, we will have between 10,000 plus charging points in the next five years,” adds Chaturvedi. The company is in the process of executing an order of USD1 million in the next few months.

On the policy side, he urges a push for private charging players as well. Last year the Government had given in-principle approval to firms, including NTPC, EESL and REIL, to set up 2,600 EV charging stations.

“Last time, under the FAME-II, subsidies were given to EV charging stations operated by PSUs. This time too, an Expression of Interest (EoI) has been invited for highways and expressways.” However, he advocates that the EV ecosystem should not only depend on subsidies. “We need to come out from the mindset of incentives. Once subsidies are stopped, many nights by flyers vanish from the market,” he says.

Volttic focuses on better utilisation of the EV charging machines to have economic viability in the business.

“If my dedicated charging machines are utilised for ten to twelve hours and public charging stations are utilised for around six to seven hours per day, I can achieve economic viability,” says Chaturvedi.

Volttic’s all EV charging machines are manufactured according to government standards by its strategic partners in India. Deployment and maintenance are taken care of by Volttic. “Software is the backbone of our business. Station monitoring, tariff management, booking slots, navigation, payments and app, everything is managed by in-house software team,” adds Chaturvedi. The company provides public EV charging app with all advance feature set for EV drivers. Easy navigation to nearest charging stations, booking, payment and all transaction details just in a click with Volttic mobile application. The app also provides complete details of charging station and availability for charging slots and many more advance features for EV users.

Margins in the business widely depend on the operating costs, which again vary from city to city. EV charging stations charge in both ways- per unit (kWH) or hours or minutes basic, and In India, EV charging stations in use the former way to charge tariffs. “Operating cost and subsequently, tariffs depend on many factors. Many states have adopted the EV policy so there are caps on per unit charge, while states that have not adopted the EV policy charge commercial rates per unit. Besides, location rents and machine cost also determine the tariffs. But yes, the tariff has to be lower than per km costs of fossil fuel-driven vehicles. Commercial viability can be achieved if machine utilisation rates are good,” explains Chaturvedi.

Talking on the feasibility of procuring energy from solar, he says, “Again to install a dedicated solar system, you need CAPEX. Even if it is fitted and the machines’ utilisation remains low, where will we dump electricity or inject in the grid at ever lower net metering? However, our ultimate goal is to get energy from renewable resources in future, when we have good hours of machine utilisation to consume dedicated renewable power energy. Also, within city getting rooftop location to develop a 50-70 KW solar plant will be another challenge, so we are more aligned toward our nationwide renewable integration up to 175 GW by 2022 and subsequent more to the coming year.”

As most EV charging station business is being driven by commercial fleet operators, availing value-added services do not bring more business rather bring more liability, thinks Chaturvedi. “Value-added services are good for personal/ individual vehicle owners, whereas commercial fleet operators think of the total cost of operations,” tells Chaturvedi.

Chaturvedi quotes battery swapping is currently not viable for electric 4W and buses as it needs heavy infrastructure.

Moreover, it is not viable unless battery packs and technologies are uniformed in the electric car and buses by all OEMs, which looks very difficult in coming time as well.

“Since Volttic is using only Government approved EV Chargers standard and that are adopted by all OEM of four-wheeler cars and buses, so most of the client are fleet of electric car and buses. For two and three-wheelers, swapping is a more convenient option as most of them currently available in the market do not have the facility to charge fast with DC chargers. So swapping is the way to get a quick top-up by replacing charged batteries,” adds he.

It requires robust infrastructure such as bulk charging system, a software system to get details on batteries. The business is only successful when fleets run over 200 km per day, and there is a good number of volume of 2W & 3W,” says Chaturvedi. However, the company is also exploring options of getting into battery swapping business with two and three-wheeler fleet companies. (MT)

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German tier 1 supplier ZF Friedrichshafen and the BMW Group have entered into a long-term supply agreement for passenger car drive systems. The contract, valued at several billion euros, extends until the late 2030s.

The agreement focuses on the supply and continued development of the 8-speed automatic transmission (8HP). The partners aim to support low-emission mobility and maintain technological flexibility during the industry transition.

A central component of the partnership is the technical evolution of the 8HP transmission kit to meet the requirements of electrified drives. The development will focus on increasing efficiency and performance for future vehicle concepts.

Mathias Miedreich, CEO of ZF, said, “Together with BMW, we are sending a strong signal for innovation, efficiency, and sustainability in an industry undergoing dynamic change. This agreement highlights the strategic importance of our 8-speed automatic transmission as a key technology for the transformation of drive systems.”

The duration of the contract provides both ZF and BMW with planning stability in a changing market. ZF aims to strengthen its position as a system supplier while reducing risks through close collaboration with the carmaker.

Sebastian Schmitt, Head of ZF's Electrified Drive Technologies division, explained, “The new agreement with BMW shows how important long-term planning horizons are for technological advancements. It creates clarity and stability for both companies and enables us to align the next generation of the 8HP specifically toward efficiency, performance, and long-term viability.”

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Aumovio has entered a supply agreement with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Leapmotor to provide safety components for the carmaker’s B and C platforms.

Several models within Leapmotor’s B platform now utilise Aumovio's long-range radar, electric parking brake and airbag control unit (ACU). Models on the C platform, including the C10, C11 and C16 SUVs, feature the latest generation of the MK C2 one-box brake system, alongside the long-range radar and ACU.

The project was completed with a development cycle approximately one-third shorter than traditional automotive timelines. Aumovio attributed its speed to ‘local-for-local’ strategy in China, where the company operates 20 sites and employs around 10,000 staff. In 2024, Aumovio held a 14 percent share of market revenue in the region.

The supplied technologies include:

• MK C2 Brake System: A unit combining the master cylinder, electronic brake system, and brake booster. It is produced locally in Shanghai.
• Long-Range Radar: A sensor with a detection range of up to 280 metres, used for driver assistance across both platforms.
• Airbag Control Unit (ACU): Integrated with crash satellite sensors, these components are manufactured in Changchun.

Boris Mergell, Head of the Safety and Motion business area at Aumovio, said, “Pairing ‘China speed’ with ‘German quality’ technologies helped us to support a rapid roll-out with our latest safety technologies. This underscores Aumovio’s course towards an adaptive powerhouse that works flexibly and closely with customers to innovate. It also shows that we continue to strengthen our customer relationships in the important market China.”

The partnership supports Leapmotor’s international presence. The B10 and B05 models, which feature Aumovio's ACU and radar technology, were showcased at the IAA 2025 in Munich as part of the manufacturer's European entry.

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Bengaluru-headquartered ER&D company L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has announced a multi-year engagement within its mobility segment from an automotive manufacturer. The agreement involves software, connectivity and digital engineering services across vehicle technology domains. This win follows the company’s investments in R&D labs and mobility infrastructure designed for programs with global manufacturers.

The engagement covers mobility engineering capabilities, including embedded systems, digital platforms, verification and validation, cloud integration and cybersecurity. LTTS intends to use its engineering expertise and delivery frameworks to support the customer's technology roadmap. 

At present, LTTS operates 22 design centres and 100 innovation labs globally.

The agreement strengthens the partnership between LTTS and the automotive manufacturer in the area of mobility engineering. The company provides design, development, and testing services across the mobility, sustainability, and tech segments. 

Alind Saxena, Executive Director and President, Mobility and Tech at L&T Technology Services, said, “We are proud to deepen our partnership with the valued customer through this strategic engagement. LTTS brings together domain-led engineering, secure development practices and excellence in global delivery to accelerate the future of premium mobility. The win reflects the trust placed in our teams and our commitment to delivering world-class engineering at scale”.

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French technology company Valeo and NATIX Network have announced a partnership to develop a multi-camera World Foundation Model (WFM). The project combines Valeo’s research in artificial intelligence and generative modelling with NATIX’s decentralised physical infrastructure network (DePIN) to create an open-source platform for autonomous driving and robotics.

The initiative aims to move beyond perception-based models by creating a system capable of predicting future states and reasoning about physical interactions in a four-dimensional environment. The model will be trained using NATIX’s data network, which has collected 600,000 hours of video data across the US, Europe and Asia over seven months. This data provides the multi-camera inputs necessary for the spatial perception required by autonomous vehicles and robots.

The partnership builds upon Valeo’s existing open-source frameworks, VaViM (Video Autoregressive Model) and VaVAM (Video-Action Model). While these frameworks were previously trained primarily on front-camera datasets, the integration of NATIX’s multi-camera network expands the AI’s field of vision to 360 degrees.

Under the open-source framework, the partners will release models, datasets and training tools. This approach is intended to allow the research community to fine-tune models and benchmark physical AI across various driving conditions and geographic regions. The collaboration seeks to accelerate the deployment of end-to-end AI models by learning from real-world edge cases captured by vehicles in operation.

Marc Vrecko, Chief Executive Officer, Valeo’s Brain Division, said, “Since our creation in 2018, Valeo’s AI research center has been at the forefront of AI research in the automotive industry, especially in the fields of assisted and autonomous driving. Our goal has always been to advance mobility intelligence safely and responsibly. By combining Valeo’s generative world modeling research expertise with NATIX’s global multi-camera data, we are accelerating both the quality and the accessibility of next-generation end-to-end AI models, enabling the research community to build upon strong open models.”

Alireza Ghods, CEO and Co-Founder, NATIX, added, “WFMs are a once-in-a-generation opportunity — similar to the rise of LLMs in 2017–2020. The teams that build the first scalable world models will define the foundation of the next AI wave: Physical AIs. With our distributed multi-camera network, NATIX has a clear advantage of being able to move faster than large OEMs.”

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