Electric car maker Tesla has booked a one-seat office in the Awfis facility in Bengaluru.

The seat will be operated in the flexible office provider’s facility on Lavelle Road. This is the initial step taken by the California-based company after it officially entered India.

Tesla will dedicate a larger office after it finalizes the location for its R&D facility and a manufacturing plant in the country, as reported by ET.

Indian Introduction

After years in planning and preparation Tesla will finally start selling its electric cars in India this year. The company has announced that Tesla Model 3, the cheapest model in its portfolio, will be the first car introduced in the Indian market.

It is estimated that the car will cost something between $81,760 (₹60 lakh) to $102,201 (₹75 lakh) in India. The difference in its cost is due to the import tax levied on foreign made cars.

In the initial period, Tesla will import cars from its Gigafactory in Shanghai. After receiving feedback from the public in India, it will further decide how and where to scale up its business here.

Plans for a bumpy ride

The company is reportedly scouting for potential locations for its retail and charging facilities in Mumbai. Government officials from the state of Gujarat are also in talks with the company to set up its manufacturing plant, near the Kandla or Mundra port in the state.

Tesla is yet to announce its broader plans for India, which could become the trickiest market to crack for the company. The high price, insufficient charging infrastructure and the lack of public-awareness about EVs would make for a tough ride for the company.

Also read: IESA predicts EV sales in India to reach 6.3 million units per year by 2027

EV Cosmos, an Indian EV charging solutions provider has signed a MoU with ChargeNET to set up 500 charging stations in India.

ChargeNET is a group company of UK based CodeGen, which has a manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka and has established 80 commercial charging stations in the island country.

It is the sister company of Vega Innovations, manufacturer of Vega EVX, South Asia’s first electric super car unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2020.

Also read : SUN Mobility will setup 100 EV battery Swap Points in Bengaluru

EV Cosmos was founded by Pramod Geetey in 2015. It is a Bhopal based startup which provides charging station solutions for private and Government bodies. They provide equipment, domain expertise, energy management and consultancy for EV projects.

“We shall make strong forays into B-to-B and B-to-C (business to consumer and business to business) segments of EV charging solutions. Our focus will be to create a sustainable EV ecosystem in India by way of providing EV charging solutions that are easy to reach for everyone,” said Pramod Geetey, founder and CEO of EV Cosmos.

An Electric Connection

As per the statement released, ChargeNET is committed to expand its technology and service to different parts of the world, and the tie-up with EV Cosmos is their biggest step forward.

Harsha Subasinghe, Group CEO, Codegen International, UK, said “We shall be providing IOT-enabled fast charging solutions on strategic locations in cities, highways and hotels, where EVs will be charged in 15-30 minutes. This will help fleet owners move towards electric vehicles seamlessly.”

In the next two years, both the companies will together set up 500 charging stations with installed capacity of 50MW.

They will also integrate solar power to those charging stations, going forward with their motto of ‘Clean and Green Technologies for a Sustainable Future’.

Also read : Tesla may enter the Indian market in 2021

Tesla Inc. will enter the Indian market in early 2021, as per the statements from Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. He was talking to the national daily Indian Express.

California based Tesla, which is the world’s most valuable car company, has been at the forefront of EV revolution all across the world, and an entry into India is long overdue.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has at multiple occasions expressed his desire to enter India, the fifth largest automotive market in the world.

According to some sources, Tesla Model 3 will be the first car that will be introduced here, bookings for which will start in January 2021.

It is estimated that the Model 3 which costs $39,000 (₹28.6 lakh) to $56,000 (₹41 lakh) in the US, will cost something between $81,760 (₹60 lakh) to $102,201 (₹75 lakh) in India.

This higher price is due to the inclusion of taxes for importing a completely foreign-made vehicle into India.

Tesla will begin with delivering cars which are made elsewhere before establishing a new plant in India. States such as Maharashtra and Karnataka have been in talks with the company for a possible factory in their territory.

Model 3, the cheapest car in Tesla’s portfolio, was available for booking from 2016, and many Indians have reported to have booked it during that initial period.

Poor charging infrastructure and low traction for electric vehicles have prevented the company from coming to India till now.

With many states laying out their EV policy and announcing subsidies for manufacturing/buying EVs, this seems the right time for Tesla’s entry.

Mercedes, MG, TATA, Hyundai and Mahindra are presently selling electric cars in the country. It is predicted that, every car manufacturer in India is in the process of introducing an electric model in 2021.