Bengaluru: Electric vehicles, particularly e-scooters, have come a long way in the Indian market, but there is still a longer road ahead. While awareness is growing and demand is steadily rising, consumer confidence in EV ownership has been slower to catch up. This disconnect puzzled P Sanjeev, inspiring him to found E3 Electric.Ai.
Sanjeev has spent nearly seven years in the EV industry, having entered the sector on September 9, 2019, when, he says, the industry was still in its early stages. Before conceiving E3, he had interacted with 4-5 lakh customers across 100 markets, working at different companies, product segments and vantage points. Those experiences helped him identify a gap that he felt the industry was yet to address.
“People just love EVs. They’re easy to ride, save a lot of money, and their cost of ownership is low. However, despite penetration being high in certain markets, at a country level, it’s hardly 7%. That always raised questions for me,” says Sanjeev. “It boiled down to one simple thing: awareness is very strong, but ownership confidence is lacking.”
For customers, that lack of confidence often starts with the battery. How long will it last? Where can it be charged? Can it be charged conveniently in an apartment complex or outdoors? More importantly, how far will it actually run? The uncertainty around real-world range remains one of the biggest barriers to adoption. A full charge, Sanjeev says, can sometimes deliver 110 km, and at other times, 70 km.
He recalls a ride with colleagues, where a rider continuously applied the brake while riding. On the same vehicle, she ended up getting 20-km less range. That experience reinforced his belief that EV ownership needed more intelligence.
“Our vehicle can send a notification saying, ‘Your riding behaviour is going to cost you range.’ These ownership confidence issues, and the fact that even companies don’t know how many parts to stock, led me to think that you need to build a new formula,” the E3 Electric.Ai CEO says.
That formula became E3 Electric.Ai, founded on World EV Day in September 2024. Its first product line, Trion, was rolled out on August 6 this year. The company has built its proposition around three dimensions: Modular, AI and Human-centric.
At the heart of the product is what E3 calls ‘Euclidean free space-inspired modular engineering’. The company has developed a single-frame platform and powertrain platform that can be configured for different use-cases.
Sanjeev says 70% of the frame is saved through this approach, allowing the company to develop multiple configurations without starting from scratch.
The Trion currently comes in three variants. The C1 is aimed at younger customers travelling to college or office, the C1X is designed for business users who need greater range, while the C2 is positioned as a full-performance scooter for families. Three more variants may be expected.
Digital twin on the cloud
Technology is central to the proposition. Every Trion is designed as a digital twin on the cloud, with more than 200 data-points sent to the cloud every five seconds. E3’s AI platform, TripSense, works with IntelliRide OS, while its AI Health Scan monitors 216 CAN signals and more than 40 types of failure points in real time.
“Every Trion is a digital twin on the cloud. As the rider rides the vehicle, the digital twin keeps learning the behaviour of that product. Based on each individual, it predicts if any part is going to fail and alerts the customer ahead of time,” says Sanjeev.
The company also uses this data to tackle service issues before they become breakdowns. If there is a problem with the motor, controller, battery or charger, E3 says it can identify the issue before the customer reaches the service centre. It has also introduced a battery passport, which records the battery’s remaining usable life and could help owners establish the value of a vehicle during resale.
E3 has built its manufacturing base in Hyderabad, on the Nagpur Highway, with a current capacity of up to 10,000 vehicles a month. According to Sanjeev, the location helps the company reduce logistics costs, while serving markets across the country. Around 81 parts have been developed by E3, while more than 60 Tier-1 suppliers Pan-India have co-developed components with the company. The products are Made in India, and the company’s design has been patented.
E3 Electric.Ai has announced a Rs 100-crore fund raise, comprising 75% equity and 25% debt. Sanjeev says E3 is deliberately pursuing an organic business model rather than relying on heavy cash burn to drive growth.
E3 has set up its retail presence with Bengaluru, where it is building three more experience centres. It has received over 140 dealership applications across more than 70 markets, and has identified 95 key markets for foray this year. For Sanjeev, however, the ambition extends beyond selling scooters.
“Our vision is very clear. We set out to build on ownership
confidence. Success to me isn’t just the IPO goals for 2030. Success is how many happy customers we build. That’s the metric that matters,”
he concludes.
