It’s a story that traverses early angel funding rounds, engagements with trade giants within the B2B area, and, in fact, the challenges posed by the pandemic, Pratik Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO of Gensol EV, recounts his journey from Strom Motors to Gensol EV in an unique interplay with ETAuto at The Bharat Mobility World Auto Present 2025. Gupta shares how his staff’s interactions with BluSmart as a possible shopper led to an enduring relation with the acquisition of Strom Motors by Gensol Group to type Gensol EV.
“We had approached BluSmart as a possible shopper and our discussions with them have been progressing nicely, and even Ola’s technique staff reached out to discover the automotive’s potential,” shares Gupta. He provides that it was throughout these conversations that the staff started significantly contemplating the B2B market. “They shared some insights that acquired us pondering—70% of the riders are single occupants, and lots of entry-level automotive customers favor sitting within the entrance seat as a result of the air con is more practical. They highlighted that at our value level and working price, the full price to fleet operators might be lowered by 40%. This cost-saving might both be handed on to prospects or translated into increased profitability.”
Initially, Strom Motors had positioned the Strom-R3 as a three-wheeled private mobility answer. Nevertheless, the shifting market dynamics offered a brand new alternative. “This product turned out to be a vital device for the B2B phase to reclaim market share,” Gupta notes. “In case you recall, earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, cab fares have been round INR 18 to INR 20 per km. Now, they’ve risen to INR 30 per km. This important value enhance led to a pointy decline in journey volumes and demand. However with our providing on the proper value level, fleet operators can entice 4 occasions extra quantity to their platforms. That’s when the B2B phase grew to become a severe focus for us.”“Anmol Jaggi, the founding father of BluSmart and Gensol (Chairman & Managing Director), we began discussions with them about working collectively for BluSmart’s fleet,” shares Gupta. “As conversations progressed, they realized this was a terrific alternative to increase their enterprise. In case you take a look at Gensol’s portfolio, it primarily revolves round renewable power—photo voltaic, wind, and power administration. Now, they’re additionally venturing into battery storage, our merchandise match completely inside their ecosystem. Since BluSmart is considered one of their direct shoppers, the synergy between the 2 firms was simple.”Gupta additional explains, “That’s once we determined to ascertain a a lot nearer relationship. Finally, Gensol acquired Strom Motors, and the corporate transitioned from Mumbai to Pune to arrange a producing plant in Chakan.”
When requested why Chakan, close to Pune in Maharashtra, as the corporate’s new base, Gupta explains, “The choice to arrange in Chakan was a strategic one. As we deliberate growth to fulfill BluSmart’s large-scale automobile necessities and the rising calls for of the mobility sector, we wanted to suppose huge. Chakan stood out as one of many strongest automotive hubs in India, providing a sturdy provider base and a wealthy expertise pool.”
Put up-COVID, Gupta’s staff had downsized to simply seven folks, however at this time, “we’re near 200 folks. Such fast scaling might solely be achieved inside considered one of India’s key automotive ecosystems—Delhi, Pune, or Chennai. Pune emerged as the perfect selection, and now, almost 70% of our suppliers are positioned within the Chakan space, making provide chain administration and stock dealing with considerably extra environment friendly.”
“The unique Strom Motors staff remains to be with us, they usually’ve had the chance to witness and contribute to this unimaginable progress,” he exclaims.
He additional provides, “Following the acquisition, we established our workplaces, R&D centre, and manufacturing plant in Chakan. We now have a incredible execution staff, with senior professionals who’ve labored with main OEMs comparable to Stellantis, Mahindra Group, Tata Motors, and Mercedes-Benz. These are trade veterans with over 20 years of expertise, having labored throughout a number of automotive platforms. Their deep understanding of the provider panorama has been invaluable—particularly for a rising firm like ours, the place not each provider is keen to collaborate initially. Right this moment, we’re proud to have marquee suppliers comparable to Minda and Kalyani supporting us.”
‘ezio’ and ‘ezibot’ launch technique
Talking concerning the launch of ‘ezio’, the corporate’s three-wheeled electrical automotive, Gupta shares, “We’re showcasing it at The Bharat Mobility World Expo 2025. We have already got 30,000 orders throughout each our passenger automotive and cargo platform, ‘ezibot’.”
He additional reveals that the ‘ezio’ automotive is ready to launch within the second half of the yr, with Bengaluru being the primary metropolis to roll out the automobile, adopted by Delhi and different key markets. In the meantime, the cargo variant, ‘ezibot’, is scheduled for launch in 2026.
“Our automotive has undergone rigorous testing in excessive circumstances—from the height summer season warmth of Jaisalmer to the heavy monsoons of the Western Ghats,” Gupta states proudly. “We’ve additionally efficiently acquired our ARAI certification.”
Battery know-how and sustainability
On the battery know-how, Gupta shares that the automotive comes with LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries. “In Strom days, we have been on NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide) batteries and this shift has primarily been round security, stability and extra cost cycles. Like now, our batteries have 3,000 cost cycles as in comparison with 800-1,000 cost cycles again then. That is vital for fleet operators because it offers longevity to make use of lifecycle,” factors Gupta.
Gupta additional provides, “We’re additionally collaborating with ecosystem companions to discover second-life functions for our LFP batteries. The selection of a 48-volt system performs a vital position on this technique, as these batteries might be seamlessly repurposed after 5-7 years of auto use. They are often straight utilized in functions comparable to cellular tower energy backup and power storage options.”
He emphasizes their dedication to sustainability, stating, “We’ve already partnered with a recycler, however our main focus is to spend money on battery reuse quite than recycling. We’re at the moment in discussions with two suppliers to drive this initiative ahead.”
When requested whether or not their platforms can accommodate solid-state or sodium-ion batteries, Pratik Gupta explains, “Our platform has been designed with flexibility in thoughts, permitting us to combine a number of battery applied sciences. In contrast to conventional setups the place the battery pack is constructed into the chassis, our design incorporates it as a separate unit throughout the body. Which means if the swappable battery ecosystem beneficial properties traction sooner or later, our automobiles can seamlessly adapt to it. Equally, if solid-state batteries grow to be mainstream, we are able to shortly transition to that know-how.”
Highlighting the significance of understanding buyer wants, Gupta emphasizes, “Fleet operators are our main prospects, and their particular necessities have to be taken under consideration. They’ve their very own methods and ecosystem companions, particularly in terms of swappable battery options.”
Cell manufacturing and future prospects
Talking about cell manufacturing in India, Gupta shares, “We’re in discussions with one of many largest battery producers within the nation, and as soon as their plant is operational, we might be among the many first to make the most of their cells. We’ve already aligned with our battery companions to seamlessly combine their cells into our techniques—technically, every part is in place.”
He acknowledges the present lack of cell manufacturing in India however stays optimistic concerning the future. “Whereas it is true that India doesn’t but have large-scale cell manufacturing, it doesn’t suggest that the federal government and trade stakeholders are usually not taking motion. A number of main gamers are within the technique of organising cell manufacturing crops. The delay is primarily as a result of time required for organising infrastructure, streamlining provide chains, and rigorous testing processes,” Gupta explains.
Reflecting on the absence of a two-way charging system that helps Automobile-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities, Gupta acknowledges this as an space for future exploration. Nevertheless, he emphasizes the superior know-how spine of their automobiles, which gives a number of clever options.
“Our system permits customers to align cost occasions effectively and detect potential points—whether or not it is air con malfunctions or different operational issues—via a seamless dashboard interface,” Gupta explains. He additional highlights that the dashboard is designed for straightforward integration with numerous fleet administration techniques, guaranteeing easy operations for fleet operators.
EVs over hydrogen for now
On the technique past electrical automobiles (EVs), Gupta clarifies, “We’re centered solely on EVs and never hydrogen. Nevertheless, there’s a group firm inside our ecosystem known as Matrix Hydrogen, which makes a speciality of hydrogen infrastructure deployment, EPC administration. We’re carefully built-in with that ecosystem. Gensol, as a gaggle, is constructed round sustainability, and having a frontrunner within the group provides us worthwhile insights into the technical challenges of hydrogen applied sciences.”
He goes on to clarify, “The maturity of each the product and the ecosystem is essential, particularly when you’re catering to B2B companions. You might want to make sure the companion is able to spend money on the infrastructure required. At this stage, hydrogen appears to make extra sense in buses and trains, given the dimensions of funding wanted. For dense city areas, we consider mild EVs are a greater match, because the infrastructure to assist hydrogen nonetheless has a protracted strategy to go.”
