One of the most remarkable technical innovations of this century, electric vehicles have been a remarkable step towards environmental sustainability. Especially for countries like India, where vehicular pollution plays a major contributor to air pollution, the introduction of EVs is considered an efficient solution to reduce environmental pollution. However, the growth of the industry has been hindered by various factors, such as a lack of awareness about the technology as well as the unavailability of reliable EV charging stations across the country. Keeping the current industry issues in mind, Kameswara R Nara co-founded his Hyderabad-based EV charging solution firm Sapthavahana Pvt Ltd in 2022. Within a short period, the firm has gained considerable recognition, thanks to its highly efficient EV charging stations, strategically placed in highway locations with dedicated electrical infrastructure.

In an exclusive interview with CIO Insider, Kameswara sheds light on the inception of Sapthavahana, the firm’s various offerings, and much more:

Tell us about the inception story of Sapthavahana and the benchmarks it has set in the industry so far.

I have been working in the automotive sector throughout my career. Being a part of the industry for many years has helped me witness the massive transfor-mation and evolution the industry has gone through, especially in the US. Back in 2007-2008, I was also involved in certain aspects of product

launches with some of the major automotive OEMs. The battery vehicle concept was quite new and was considered extremely challenging back then. However, the public perception started evolving gradually, with Tesla making some noise around 2015-2016.

While the cost-sensitive Indian Automotive market is more adaptable in terms of technology, when it comes to fully adapting to EVs, it has a long way to go. You need an efficient charging infrastructure and stations at strategic travel points to achieve them. However, there is a shortage of quality charging centers in the country. So, through my organization Sapthavahana, I have decided to venture into the market and start our own charging station network. For me, Sapthavahana is all about innovation, promoting technology, and enhancing customer experience.

Briefly tell us about the workforce of the company responsible for its success.

It's easy to hire people who work for money as they are always motivated by incentives. However, the EV Charging sector in India is still in a nascent stage and will take years before reaping profits. I am extremely particular about one factor, which is people that I associate with should understand the vision and the passion behind it. It's tough to hire people driven by passion rather than money. However, I have found the right person to collaborate with - my father. A retired senior electrical engineer from the Indian Railways, my father has always been a huge guiding force.

We started this organization as a father-son duo before hiring some consultants to get a better picture of the Indian market. We are also working on an expansion plan. We are happy to welcome talents whose mission and vision align with ours.

What is the role Sapthavahana has envisioned to take shortly? What is the level of impact it strives to bring to the market?

While I had future expansion plans, I eventually decided to focus more on the charging management side. I am currently working on the technology to introduce a smart charging machine that would enhance the overall user experience. We are also working on the auto vehicle detection feature. Through this feature, the charger, once connected, will be able to automatically detect the vehicle by its IP address. We are also working on doing away with the hassle of payment through various payment portals.

I aim to provide an optimal smart charging experience to the user. We have partnered with OAZA Energy to improve the operational efficiency of the chargers using AI as well as other cuttingedge technologies. Lastly, we are also working on enabling fault detention and prevention features on the chargers that would make them more reliable and less failure-prone.