• DARWYN pursues a unique business model of EVs on lease with charging infrastructure to E-commerce delivery services
• The startup is on a mission to support the transition from petrol/diesel based delivery services to EV services to curb air pollution levels
• The startups offer indigenously manufactured EVs and EV components promoting the spirit of Make in India

India’s EV revolution is interestingly replete with innovative solutions by many startups in tandem with major automotive manufacturers. In line with the government’s EV plan to curb the menacing air pollution arising from vehicular emission, many Indian startups have come forward to develop electric vehicles that are estimated to take to the Indian roads increasingly in the next few years. 

But most of the EV startups who are manufacturing electric vehicles depend on imported components from abroad to manufacture electric vehicles and here DARWYN comes with a difference. Ahmedabad based EV startup DARWYN manufactures not only advanced EVs indigenously but also their components here in India. 

DARWYN has made its mark with its innovative business model as well. The company is offering its electric scooters and electric motorbikes on lease to various E-commerce and food delivery companies like Amazon and Zomato. The company also offers its charging stations to them where these scooters and motorbikes are recharged for free of cost as a part of the contract. 

In this hour of crisis, the startup is also extending support to essential delivery services. Machine Maker spoke to Rahul Gonsalves, Founder, and CEO of DARWYN about its ‘Make in India’ EV solutions, unique business model, and service to COVID-19 fight. 

Unique Business Model

“The main reason DARWYN is giving its vehicles to the e-commerce and food delivery companies is that we want to facilitate the shift from the petrol based delivery model to electric based delivery model. It will help in reducing the pollution levels and at the same, it is very cost-effective if compared to petrol or diesel-based vehicles. The electric vehicle delivery model can help in reducing the pollution levels on a large scale”, Rahul says. 

‘Make in India’

Rahul has been in the electric vehicles industry for the last 6 years. He wanted to make electric vehicles in India but components necessary for manufacturing these electric vehicles were still imports based in the country. He ventured to overcome this challenge and along with Prem Bhojwani (Head of Engineering, DARWYN), Rahul developed the required 750-watt battery packs for the electric vehicles in 2016 and became the first startup to manufacture this battery in India.

Theta is an electric motorcycle that has a mileage of 110 km at the maximum speed of 65 kmph in a single charge. This vehicle is powered by a 3kWh Li-Ion battery pack and a 2.5 kWBLDC motor. Theta also has a smart connectivity feature which helps in navigation and reading text messages with the help of wireless mobile connectivity. Theta has an excellent payload capacity of 150 kg and can be fully charged within 90 minutes which makes it suitable for delivery jobs.

Candy is an electric scooter that has a mileage of 70 km at the maximum speed of 25 kmph in a single charge. The maximum payload capacity of this vehicle is 80 kg and it can be fully charged within a mere time of 40 minutes. The model is ideal for short distances.

Growth Prospect

Apart from leasing these vehicles to various corporations, DARWYN also aims to sell vehicles in the market in the coming years. Till now the company has sold about 230 vehicles which are mostly bought by college students. These electric vehicles are offered at the affordable starting price of 43000 rupees. 

The lack of charging infrastructure in India is still a major challenge for EV manufacturers as well as for people to make this transition. However, Raul is confident of DARWYN’s growth prospects in the near future because the government of India also wants people and businesses to shift from petrol/diesel vehicles to electric vehicles. He also prides himself on the fact that because of DARWYN’s made in India components they are helping the country to save on importing components of the e-vehicles in India.

Ready for National Spirit

India is in a total lockdown since 25th March because of the COVID-19 outbreak, and DARWYN has extended its support to national cause in this hour of crisis.  “During this crisis, we are delivering essentials to people and are also feeding about 300-400 street dogs every day. Apart from only thinking of expanding our business, we are trying to help the poor daily wage earners by providing food and other necessities because we believe in giving back to the society”, Rahul says.

Startups like DARWYN are setting up an example for other startups to make eco-friendly innovations and also help the society during a crisis because humanity matters the most. For more details, visit www.darwyn.ooo