“There have been two prominent players market for the last decade but the EV market in India is still less than one percent,” the CEO of Raptee Energy, Dinesh Arjun declares, “Why hasn’t the transition happened as yet?”
The Chennai-based startup, Raptee is one among the five hundred players in the increasingly growing electric two-wheeler space. What makes them stand apart? They are designing EVs for the Indian context—one where motorcycles pass hands from one generation to the other with a lifespan of at least twelve years.
Like most other EV origin stories, Raptee was conceived in a garage with two tables. Circa 2018, Dinesh found himself shuttling between his master’s program in the US and his automotive manufacturing businesses in India every month. During these week-long visits to Chennai, he and his junior from college, Keerthivasan Ravi would ideate and build prototypes for what would be their new venture together.
Dinesh had experience in manufacturing and retail in the two-wheeler space. “Motorcycles aren’t the safest mode of transport, but not everyone can afford a car,” says the co-founder as he begins to explain how they
