Born and brought up in the weaving community of rural Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), where girls are married at an age as early as 15, is Sivasankari Panneer (41)- the first female in her family’s history to get an engineering degree.
In the quest for sustainable and affordable mobility, Panneer put to use her engineering knowledge and skillset when she started work on her venture– AR4 Tech– in 2018.
Incorporated in December 2021, the company today employs about 35 people who are working on producing low speed two wheelers for the rural markets. The model is in the prototype stage and expected to hit the markets by next year. Alongside, it is also producing retrofit kits, which have been approved by the testing agency ARAI.
With her business venture, Panneer intends to offer the low speed electric two wheeler with swappable battery in two variants. First, with a 1kWh battery offering a range of up to 40 kilometers. This will be priced at around INR 35,000 (ex-showroom). For longer distances, there is another variant of up to 70 kilometer range with a battery of over 2kWh. This will be available at around INR 70,000.
The target is to not exceed the vehicle weight over 50 kg. “Due to the road conditions in rural areas, we have used tires with an extended width to avoid the worry about their punctures.”
Currently Yulu Wynn and Kinetic Zulu are the most affordable EVs available in the category where AR4 is working to operate in. However, these bikes have not found a promised market in the Tier-3, 4 towns of the country yet.
Interestingly, Panneer is working on low speed scooters with a sodium ion battery and claims to find it as a better solution when compared to the traditional lithium ion technology. This she attributes to being well placed, superior safety, high thermal resistance, water resistance, and impact resistance.
However, she noted that there is a gap in the skilling and processing industry. “Sodium ions can be produced indigenously, but India doesn’t yet know how to process minerals the way China can. The Chinese understand the minerals to the core,” she said in a conversation with ETAuto.
The startup has been bootstrapped and received a funding of close to INR 1.8 crore from Singapore-based Sodion Energy, a leading developer of sodium-ion batteries.
Experts suggest sodium-ion battery chemistries are being widely considered as a potential alternative to li-ion and the industry could see it in production sooner than expected. Some of the companies that made a move toward sodium-ion batteries include mainland Chinese automakers including BYD. Stellantis and Northvolt have also joined the league.
Retrofitting to give a new life
Panneer and team have also built a retrofit kit for two wheelers. Having tested them for models like five models namely Honda Activa, Suzuki Access, TVS Zest, TVS XL and Hero Splendor, it has received an approval from the testing agency ARAI in February this year for running in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
“Retrofitment is the solution for Tier-3,4 markets as the price of new electric scooters even with subsidies is way out of pockets for most people here,” she said.
The team is working through the process of receiving an approval for a few other Southern states to supply the kits for price sensitive, mass market applications.
Further, Panneer highlighted the need for awareness on the customers’ part. She shared that the re-registration process for these retrofitted EVs require the vehicle to be within the life cycle of 15 years, have an original registration certificate, an insurance policy and no penalty attached to it. “Not checking the background and vehicle history before registration can lead to the customer paying the penalties and other dues of the previously owned vehicle.”
The company is currently working on appointing dealerships to sell retrofit kits.The long term goal is to enable retrofitment of EVs across categories including two wheelers, four wheelers, tractors, and wheelbarrows for agricultural equipment, the woman entrepreneur said.
Tracing the roots
Considering her family history, Panneer was proud of the fact that her parents ensured her college education despite reluctance from their society and the extended family.
A graduate in computer science engineering, Panneer’s luck was flying high until the day a tragedy took place and she was no longer allowed to continue her studies or receive support from the family. Married off right after her graduation, she could not sit for placements.
However, with support from her husband she got the encouragement to pursue a postgraduate degree to complete her M.Tech and later got a job. Post this, she gained knowledge on the field and continued to work, until she got the confidence to start her own venture six years back.
Panneer sure has a long way to go before her product makes its way in the homes of rural India. And even though there already are several startups in the country offering EVs and retrofitment solutions in the market, her story of determination is one to behold!
