Hopcharge, a Gurugram-based firm founded in 2019, promises to provide the world’s first on-demand electric car charging service at consumers’ doorstep.
The worldwide electric vehicle (EV) sector is quickly expanding; nevertheless, India is trailing behind in terms of electric car adoption and is seeing slower development. The lack of chargers and rapid charging infrastructure is a major contributor to this.
Hopcharge was founded in 2019 by BITS Pilani alumni Arjun Singh and IIT Delhi alumnus Saurabh Rohilla to address this difficulty. With a portfolio of technical IP issued in both India and the United States, the firm provides on-demand EV charging at your door. According to the Gurugram-based business, it offers a one-of-a-kind Made-in-India quick charging technology that enables modular and mobile charging infrastructure that augments local grid, minimizes costly grid improvements, and saves EV owners valuable time.
Arjun states in a chat with YourStory, “We intend to address significant obstacles in the e-mobility transition by delivering convenient EV charging options at the customer’s door. Hopcharge is trying to assist more individuals in making the conversion to electric mobility, so contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions, which have an impact on our health and a larger negative impact on the country’s GDP.”
Hopcharge has developed a patented energy pod with lithium ion-based energy storage and a quick charger that can charge EVs at the same rate as a public charging station. This charging solution contains both connected and portable power banks with high-capacity charging capabilities intended exclusively for electric vehicles. The startup’s main offering is a quick charging service delivered to consumers’ homes.
Residential home chargers, according to the company, are sluggish AC chargers that take hours to charge the car. The public charger is a rapid DC charger, similar to the one supplied by Hopcharge, except Hopcharge charges during idle time, saving EV owners productive time.
Hopcharge’s patented energy pod can charge electric vehicles at the same rate as a public fast charger. Hopcharge’s own energy pod, which can charge EVs at the same rate as a public fast charger. Hopcharge was founded and operated by a 30-person team with experience in energy, automotive, and e-mobility. of Delhi in 2015.
How Hopcharge works
Hopcharge is an app available for both Android and iOS. Anyone can download the app, join up, and request a charge from the comfort of their own home. They must choose the type of EV, their location, the battery state, and a convenient time to plan the charge. Any session may be easily arranged up to 48 hours in advance, providing clients with a seamless EV charging experience process.
Revenue and business model
According to internal business research, the worldwide market opportunity for the EV category in 2021 will be $19 billion. The firm offers a subscription service to assist consumers, removing the reliance on fixed charging stations as well as the exorbitant expense of setting up a fast-charging station at home. Hopcharge promises that users can pay as little as Rs 3.5 per mile.
As of now, the firm is executing successful operations for its industry-leading “EV charging subscription plan – HopchargeX” for ad hoc users in Gurugram and parts of Delhi NCR. Hopcharge performed around 255 doorstep charging sessions in April 2022.
“Thousands of people have signed up for our early access program, and hundreds of them have already begun using our billing services in Gurugram/NCR. We now want to expand the service regions deep into NCR in the future quarters, followed by other metropolitan cities in India, having established the model within three to four months of introduction and efficiently servicing subscription consumers in Gurugram and NCR “Arjun adds
Until 2021, the firm concentrated on research and development and product development in order to create one-of-a-kind technologies.
Hopcharge introduced its usage-based subscription model, which is popular in OEM dealerships, in early 2022.
Planning and funding
In 2021, the bootstrapped firm received its first round of investment from angel investors. When it comes to competitiveness, Arjun adds, “Companies throughout the world are attempting to address the EV charging challenge, and one option is to replicate gasoline filling time as a behavioral adjustment for EV adopters.
Hopcharge has solved this issue by offering on-demand plug-and-play energy as well as a superior EV refueling experience.
Hopcharge is the world’s first on-demand doorstep quick electric vehicle charging service. Hopcharge intends to expand its service to cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad within the next year. Furthermore, it has seen several nations experiencing comparable obstacles and is attempting to develop global solutions.
While keeping a close watch on the worldwide economy, Hopcharge has also established strategic businesses in the United States and Japan.
