Podcast: Hard Truths by Vertex | Series 3 | Episode 1 - Will India hit its EV Targets? —Akshay Shekhar

Rahul Thayyalamkandy | 28 Nov 2024

In This Episode

We chat with Akshay, co-founder of Kazam, who’s on a mission to revolutionize how we think about EVs and energy. From leasing EVs to building cutting-edge charging infrastructure, Akshay shares his journey of tackling India’s EV challenges and scaling solutions globally. Discover how his startup is making EV adoption easier and why he believes energy management is the next big frontier. Tune in to learn how the EV landscape is changing—and what it means for you!

IN THIS EPISODE

00:00 | Why lease an EV? Akshay's unexpected take?

03:00 | The game-changing rise of two- and three-wheelers in India

05:30 | EV economics: How the math works for fleers

07:30 | The future of EVs: Lessons from your smartphone

11:30 | What's holding back mass EV adoption? The real challenges

15:30 | Will India hit its bold EV targets by 2030?

19:00 | Why charging anxiety is more about perception than reality?

23:30 | Public vs. Private EV charging: surprising insights

29:00 | Can EV's become the ultimate digital assets?

36:00 | India's EV edge: Why the grid is ready?

Tune in here:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s3e1-will-india-hit-its-ev-targets/id1659392336?i=1000678386711
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ICDigVUWc5WDmYQdHuUNv
Youtube: https://youtu.be/Hn3KZtTS5ds

Our Guest, Akshay Shekhar Bio:

Akshay Shekhar is the co-founder and CEO of Kazam, India's largest EV charging company. Prior to this, Akshay built an AR startup and worked at consumer goods companies PepsiCo and Godrej Consumer.

Kazam operates in 5000+ pin codes with its software and hardware solutions being used by OEMs, E-Commerce fleet operators and even Charge Point Operators. The startup's vision is to ultimately create a shareable carbon credit pool for the entire EV value chain.

Website: https://www.kazam.in/

Missed the other episodes?

Tune in on the other episodes here.

Your Host

Rahul Thayyalamkandy is the Director of Communications and Community at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India. Before joining Vertex, Rahul served as a Product Manager at BLOCK71, an incubator and joint venture of NUS Enterprise and Singtel Innov8, where he developed scalable services for portfolio startups and designed mentorship programs. He also gained experience as a Summer Associate at Cocoon Capital, working with the Managing Partner on investment deals.

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Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India is a pioneer in investing in tech start-ups in this region and has helped to build a number of unicorns. In this podcast, we seek to share and uncover the Hard Truth - raw, unfiltered insights and venture capital knowledge from across Southeast Asia and India. Tune in to learn from leading founders, innovators, venture capitalists, and industry experts in the region and to gain industry insights from those in the know.

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