Kirana Charzer Bangalore
This start-up in Bengaluru is developing a large EV charging network through Kirana stores. In 2020, Charzer, a smart, portable IoT-powered station, and a mobile app were established by Dheeraj Reddy, Sameer Ranjan Jaiswal, and Yugraj Shukla to provide easy access to charging facilities. With mankind witnessing on a daily basis the negative consequences of climate change, a great deal of attention is now being put on clean mobility, especially electric vehicles.
Local BangaloreTeam 
In the fiscal year 2019-20, sales of EVs, including e-rickshaws in India, increased by 20 percent, according to the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SIAM). Moreover, the government has also set a target to ensure that at least 30 percent of cars are EVs. The use of fossil-fuel-free vehicles has a range of advantages, from better energy security, improved fuel economy, lower fuel costs, to a drop in emissions. The awareness of this is also rising gradually.
The Beginning
The field of entrepreneurship is not new to Dheeraj, Sameer, and Yugraj. Fae Bikes, an electric bike-sharing start-up to encourage faster EV adoption in India, was founded earlier in 2017 by the trio. However, they recognised the need to develop quick, convenient charging experiences for consumers after two years. Kirana Charzer is a charging station that can charge electric scooters, motorcycles, and three-wheelers.
“We had to work on the charging station, taking into consideration many limitations such as poor network connectivity, non-availability of three-phased electric supply, and the inability of kirana store owners to pay a high upfront price,” notes Sameer.
At MOVE (Mobility Re-imagined) in February 2020, the trio unveiled their strategy and prototype, an initiative where core players around the value chain of mobility collaborate to discuss the sector's future. Not only did the start-up get an overwhelming reaction, but Kirana Charzer also bagged over 200 pre-orders. Marquee investors Rakesh Saraf, Gaston Bilder, and Kiran Kamity put their bets on the start-up, while Charzer was initially bootstrapped.
How does the charging network work?
The product has been designed in a way that small stores, hotels, business units, paying visitors, and more can comfortably host and configure it. The charging host will track all the details about the volume of energy used, the time span for which it is used, the earnings they collect, as the charging station is attached to a central server. In addition, it helps EV owners to find the closest charging station via GPS, book a service slot, and make payments. The EV owner has to pay anywhere between Rs 20 and Rs 50, as set by the charging host, for every one hour of charging. Because of its capacity to restrict the extraction of power as per the host's link, the station can operate efficiently with a single-phase electricity supply. The Kirana Charzer is basically dust-proof and water-proof, allowing it to work effectively in all weather conditions.
Five charging stations have been set up so far by Charzer: three in Bengaluru and two in Trivandrum. Fifty of them are already in the process of being installed. In addition, 4,000 pre-orders have already been obtained from Kirana shops and stores in eight states and 64 cities across India by the squad. In addition to paving the way for clean mobility, the startup is excited about enhancing the wellbeing and income of Kirana stores and retail outlets in the region.
