In the absence of a proper supply chain, the complete cycle chain management starting from the supply of raw materials from suppliers to distribution of goods to consumers, for electric vehicles (EVs), TVS Automobile Solutions is trying to define the catalogue for the EV supply chain life cycle. “This is an active learning process with the manufacturers and we will accelerate the rollout of the supply chain catalogue, according to G. Srinivasa Raghavan, Managing Director, TVS Automobile Solutions.
“We will learn which service parts will be on demand and until then we will get the knowledge of EV domain parts,” he said on Wednesday on the sidelines of the launch of the company’s EV mobility platform. “What the ICE industry suffered was the absence of a catalogue and that had put a lot of pressure on the supply chain for manufacturers and aftermarket,” Raghavan said.
Ki Mobility Solutions, a part of the TVS Automobile Solutions, has launched a digital mobility service platform for EVs. The company said it has signed partnerships with eight EV manufacturers, including startups, across the two-wheeler, three-wheeler, LCV and passenger car segments. Some of the tie-up announcements are under non-disclosure agreement. However, Okinawa and Boom Motor are among the companies that Ki Mobility has tie-up arrangements with, the company said.
The cloud-based digital service platform will provide the manufacturers with a wide service network for sales, service, insurance, roadside assistance, charging stations and parts across 250 towns, the company said.
While servicing remains the same across a segment, what differs from one vehicle’s service to another is the battery infrastructure and the error and repair procedures, which can vary from one manufacturer to another, Raghavan said.
The company said it has trained close to 500 technicians across the country, for certain manufacturers, to cater to different battery technologies.
He said the company would be happy even if it gains only 30% market share in the next 2-3 years.
In the next 3 to 5 years, at least 60% to 70% of the two-wheeler market would go electric. Considering a 50% conversion rate to EVs there would be half a million vehicles to service a month. So, to that extent it would be a sizable market, he said.
However, the company is clear that it doesn’t want to invest in charging stations. “We will provide physical and technological infrastructure. We will work with charging station partners and we will make the discovery process easy for customers by incorporating them in the app,” Raghavan said.
myTVS has around 1,000 networks across the country including franchise-owned and its own. Its certified garages which provide extended services have 1,500 people. By the end of FY22, the company aims to have 2,500 networks.
In August this year, the company acquired the online first auto service platform GoBumpr. With the acquisition, it launched a B2C online-to-offline model under the name Ki Mobility Solutions.
