Anupama Sajeet
Dec 14, 2023

With EVs, we are at 6% penetration in India with 94% still to go: Kinetic Green's Sulajja Firodia Motwani

The CEO and founder spoke to Campaign India on the sidelines of the company's two-wheeler launch and rebranding about its vision of bringing e-mobility to the masses, on reviving the 'Luna' in an e-avatar, and why the lack of charging infra is not a concern for the EV-maker

With EVs, we are at 6% penetration in India with 94% still to go: Kinetic Green's Sulajja Firodia Motwani
Electric vehicle maker Kinetic Green is looking to play big in the growing two and three-wheeler space. The Pune-based company recently announced the launch of an e-scooter Zulu, and a revamped brand identity as part of its commitment to sustainable mobility plans.
 
Campaign India caught up with the founder and CEO, Sulajja Firodia Motwani on the sidelines of the rebranding to learn more about the challenges in the electric two-wheeler space, the company's long-term goal and plans to bring back Kinetic's Luna in an electric avatar. 
 
Firodia, the third-generation scion of the family that founded the Kinetic Group also sheds light on the company's vision to achieve 'affordable e-mobility' for the masses, and more...
 
Edited excerpts:
 

What’s the thought behind launching a refreshed brand identity and mission statement? Share the significance of the rebranding and what it represents for the company...

 

Kinetic is an established brand that people have known and trusted over many years, and we wanted to send out the message that at Kinetic Green we are dedicated to ‘Green’. While some of the other companies in the space may be selling ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) vehicles along with electric vehicles they're not embodying or embracing ‘green’ fully. They have their fingers in all the pies. We want to be the torchbearers and take a stand that electric and green is the future. 

 

Even today, people need to be educated, they need to be told with a lot of confidence, conviction and passion, as there are so many misconceptions when it comes to EVs. The youth today are genuinely concerned about sustainability and they are looking for brands that have a socially and environmentally responsible agenda. We must come out and say that if you care about the planet like we do, then green is the way - electric is the way. 

 

It's a bold statement via which we are challenging, and influencing people to think about the planet. We used the words ‘planet at our heart’ in our logo because people would connect to it. The other option we had was ‘engineered for the planet’. I told my team that it is inward-looking, akin to saying ‘I'm engineered for the planet’. But the moment you say ‘planet at our heart’, it becomes about you and me. Thus, we're trying to involve people and at the same time, also committing ourselves to this fully - not only in terms of making green technology and products, but also by pledging to plant across one crore trees, pledging to do ESG programs, to embrace green in our work, and making people aware. 


What is the TG that you're looking to target with this particular launch? How are you planning to reach out to this particular consumer cohort to get this messaging across to them?

Zulu is very much positioned for the youth and that's why we combined it with our corporate positioning which is also youth-oriented because they are the future customers. Zulu is designed for the youth in the sense that it is a very colourful, beautiful scooter that meets the requirements of the younger generation. But it is also very easy on the pocket. So as opposed to either buying a low-speed electric scooter which is cheaper from an unregistered company, which probably has some safety issues or buying a very expensive scooter which costs INR 1,30,000 to 1,40,000, this is the perfect alternative at INR 94,000. 
 
It’s the same price as a petrol scooter and there's no petrol cost, a lot of savings for the parents and for the youth, as typically it is the parents buying the vehicle. If the youth is paying for the petrol, now the battery as fuel will cost only INR 25-30 a day or 800 a month as opposed to 3,000 for petrol. 
 
By providing a price which is very intuitive and an option which makes it even more attractive we're telling our TG that not only is this green, it's fun, stylish, and economical. We're also trying to use this consumer segment with a mindset to address the misconception that EVs are expensive.
 
If you have seen the ‘kya bolti Zulu’ campaign that we have done involving the youth, there’ll be many such initiatives where we will use mostly digital media to build that kind of communication with our TG directly, tracking the platforms which they use. We'll be using social media influencers and YouTube to connect with the youth. We won't be using traditional media such as newspaper ads because that's not where the youth are. We'll also look at displays in malls, multiplexes etc. 
 
The important thing is to build a connect. This is just the first effort; we have to come up with many more such initiatives to appeal to them.
 
We have also signed up lyricist Javed Akhtar who’s going to do a Hindi rendition of an anthem around our theme which will come out soon. Right now it's in English, and if it's beautifully delivered in Hindi or a local language, it’ll connect further.
 

The EV industry has experienced substantial growth in the last few years and the two-wheeler market is a crowded space to operate in. How can you get a top-of-mind presence in this market?

 

In a way with EVs, it's still just the beginning. It's only 5-6% penetration with still 94% to go. It's too early in the day, a lot of changes are going to come, and new heroes will emerge as torchbearers, just like how Tesla emerged as a torchbearer in the US. I feel that in this space, Kinetic has the best of both worlds. In a lot of ways we are an EV startup, because we are a pure-play EV company - we don’t have ICE and EV as divisions. We are passionate about EVs - thinking, breathing, living it. 

 

In a lot of other ways, we are a pedigreed OEM. We have the Kinetic brand behind us, which is loved and trusted by people, as against some EV startup names most of which are unfamiliar. 

 

Secondly, we understand the automotive market. Automobiles are serious business. It's about understanding the trends, R&D, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, cost control, dealership network, advertising, marketing, positioning, sales service, spare parts, warranty et al. And there's safety and regulations. Regulations are important, they always change and you have to be able to adapt to them. 

 

People are riding your vehicles, their families are going to be riding it. It better be safe. People are entrusting you with their lives. So it's not everybody's game and in a lot of ways, some of the startups may not make the cut as one moves up the performance ladder. Honestly, they don't have the wherewithal. We have that pedigree as we've run the automobile business for the last 50 years and we bring that to the table. Thus, we are the best of both worlds - a pedigree OEM with a solid brand and experience and we are an EV startup. 

 

Earlier this year, you shared an update on social media on plans to revive the Luna model name for your upcoming electric two-wheeler saying that the 'Kinetic Luna, a beloved product from the past', will be reintroduced as the 'e-Luna'. Any update on that?
 

Since July when I put up that update, we have got all the approvals for e-Luna from ARAI and from FAME also around September. We're currently doing a pilot, we have seeded 1,000 vehicles - 500 in B2B in a fleet operator model to see the use case for delivery. And more than 500 in Maharashtra in select dealerships. So I think by the end of December or somewhere around January we'll finish the pilot. We should be able to go national around the end of January or February. It's very much on track and we are very excited about it.

 

India continues to grapple with several challenges in its pursuit of full EV adoption, with an underdeveloped charging and maintenance infrastructure. How do you propose to overcome this hurdle?
 

So the segment that we are in, which is two-wheelers and three-wheelers, luckily there is no ‘chicken and egg’ situation. Like if one thinks about buying an electric car and wants to go from Mumbai to say, Shirdi or Nasik, you’ll be plagued by questions such as ‘what if there is no charging station?’. So then that's a chicken and egg situation whether the charging infra will come first or the e-car will come. Like if charging infrastructure is out but there's no EV car on the road, infrastructure will become useless. Whereas 2 and 3 wheelers are intracity products only. Typically, people charge it at home, use it all day, come back and charge, akin to the mobile phone which one charges at home and typically use all day.

 

Today there are lakhs of e-rickshaws in Delhi because one doesn't need a charging infra, one just needs a three-pin plug and the charger is provided. So public charging infra is not a must for these segments like it is a must for four-wheelers.

 

India being a price-sensitive market, consumers also hesitate to adopt EVs due to the higher upfront costs of EVs (as compared to ICE vehicles). How do you plan to assuage their fears around that?
 

That's exactly what we are doing with Zulu if you see with a price of INR 94,500 which is comparable to the price of an ICE scooter. The second thing we're doing is this whole battery as a subscription because EVs are not expensive per se, it is the battery, which is adding to the cost. Like when you're buying a petrol vehicle, and spending 35,000 rupees a year, almost a lakh and a half in three years for petrol. In EVs, you're buying the vehicle with the fuel in it - so you are not spending anything on the fuel. The moment you have a battery on subscription, the EV becomes more affordable. And battery as a fuel also is one fourth the cost of petrol as a fuel. So, slowly this awareness will build that it is not that EVs are expensive. You're buying the EV with the fuel, which is the battery and it is more cost-effective in the long run.

 

You mentioned that the market is still pretty much under-penetrated. How do you plan to increase your reach and penetration?
 

By going there, having our dealers, making it accessible, and building awareness. India now has electricity nearly everywhere. In fact, in some places, they have no petrol pumps but electricity is there. I think it's a matter of time before people see the benefits of EVs and I think the tide is turning. The e-mobility wave is coming. So long as the Government continues the support for the next three to four years, this train has left the station. Notably, India is very quick to pick up - how quickly it picked up on mobiles and smartphones and now one sees everyone using apps and the likes of Gpay. 
 

We're looking at bringing EV mobility for the masses as a value player. We've decided on our space, we're not going to be looking at top-end scooters or motorcycles. We're looking at scooters and e-Luna, going to the big cities, small towns, and rural areas, penetrating, providing finance, service, and support like a value mass player. And that's where the numbers are in India. We focus on bringing value and our special Kinetic DNA - of advanced products at an affordable price.

 

 

 

Source:
Campaign India

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