Green Evolve Private Ltd. (Grevol), a zero-emission automotive technology organisation, has announced the launch of their cutting-edge lithium battery packs in the Indian market, to be first used in their own soon-to-be-launched 3-wheeler (L5N category) light commercial vehicles. The company manufactures zero emission smart, IoT-enabled vehicles and advanced lithium-ion battery packs to meet the requirements of last mile mobility.
Jayant Gupta, Founder and CEO, Grevol
The company has partnered with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), a global leader in lithium-ion battery development and manufacturing, for long-term cell procurement. The latter is known to supply to global auto-giants like Tesla, BMW and Mercedes. The company will be using CATL cells for their upcoming cargo 3-wheeler (L5N) vehicles.
“Using these high grade cells we can reduce the charging time to less than 2 hours by providing fast charging option to achieve 200 Km range/day and a life of 200,000 Km or upto 8 years by our estimates,” informs Jayant Gupta, Founder and CEO, Grevol, who is a lawyer-turned-sustainability entrepreneur having made successful exits from distributed solar ventures.
Based on trials and customer feedback, Grevol believes that its upcoming L5N category vehicle can consistently deliver a longer range with a higher payload capacity in comparison to other EVs in the three-wheeler segment. “We had to insist the E-commerce delivery partners to take our vehicles for longer routes as they were not confident with electric vehicle capabilities based on earlier experience with other electric 3 wheelers they have used so far. The delivery partners were pleasantly surprised to note that Grevol vehicles provide a much superior range with heavier payloads,” informed Jayant.
Grevol’s CTO, Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, who is an IIT (Madras) alumni and a veteran in power electronics domain states, “An EV is essentially a battery pack on wheels, comprising 40-50% of the vehicle cost. The four elements that, together, create this ideal lithium battery pack are cell sourcing, a dynamic battery management system with cell balancing, active thermal management system, and last but not the least, the design and packaging of the battery pack. We conducted comprehensive lab and on road tests to identify and resolve the challenges associated with adaptability of lithium-ion batteries in the warmer climatic and tough road conditions prevalent in India.”
Today, most EV startups are focussing on the E(electric) rather than the V (vehicle) aspect. “Vehicle stability, durability, aesthetics and functionality are as important as the electric drivetrain integration. The foundation of an e-vehicle needs to be built on the existing vendor network of conventional vehicles, with proven performance standards, along with a wide aftermarket component availability,” says Mr. Rakesh Gupta, the Co-founder and COO, who, previously, spent over 30 years in commercial vehicles development with Tata Motors.
Today, E-commerce and logistic companies are looking for a bankable electric vehicle for their last mile delivery operations. They expect it to match the performance and utility of conventional vehicle fleets, largely consisting of Tata Ace and Mahindra Champion. “To address this requirement, we have developed a vehicle that not only provides higher volume carrying capacity, but also a high payload, long range and an assured uptime,” says Rakesh.
Grevol’s core team is a perfect amalgamation of skillset and passion coming together for making last mile mobility sustainable. The company has successfully conducted pilot runs with Flipkart, Big Basket, Porter, E-comm express and others. The company will soon be launching the cargo electric 3 wheeler (L5N Category) in the Delhi-NCR Market.
