Q&A with Ayush Lohia on Electric Mobility
Mr. Ayush Lohia, CEO of Lohia Auto Industries, one of the pioneers of electric vehicles in India shares his views on electric mobility.
Q 1. There is a dire need to curb pollution on Indian roads. Solutions such as Electric Vehicles, on the other hand, are surrounded by policy, development and infrastructure issues. Where do you feel is the balance in the near term?
Mr. Ayush Lohia: We need to definitely make a choice as to what exactly we want to do to overcome pollution. To overcome challenges government is taking steps, yes, however they are slow which needs to be expedited at all levels. But from FAME policy perspective government is clear that they want to promote electric vehicles and encourage faster adoption of electric vehicles.
Q 2. How has the market response been for electric two wheelers? Are we on the right track in terms of the on-ground progress and timelines?
Mr. Ayush Lohia: Market has improved a lot with the implementation of FAME 1. The customer awareness and acceptability has increased and they want to know and are ready to shift to electric vehicles but still price gap between electric and gasoline vehicles is the challenge. As far as the timelines are concerned we expect a much faster growth but that depends on Government policy and actions.
Q 3. How do you see Lohia Auto evolving/scaling in the future?
Mr. Ayush Lohia: We at Lohia are always striving to fulfill customer need by providing mobility solutions. We are working in both 3W category and 2W category by evolving and launching new products. We are also planning for our second plant to scale further and bring it closer to the customer.
Q 4. How does Lohia Auto intend on mitigating the competitive threat from startups in the electric two wheeler segment?
Mr. Ayush Lohia: I don’t take startups as a threat as they will help us in creating something new with out of the box thinking and will always keep us on our toes for developing new products and technology with better features.
Q 5. You are part of the E-Mobility panel discussion at the upcoming Two Wheeler Forum (taking place on 30 Aug 2018 at The Leela Gurgaon ). What are some of the key insights and themes you are looking to focus on as a part of this forum?
Mr. Ayush Lohia: I am thankful and excited to be the part of this forum as we get to meet and share our views with the industry experts and people who are looking to explore opportunities in Electric vehicles.
