Hyderabad: Hyderabad joined the list of startup hubs quite late in 2014, by which time other cities such as Bengaluru and Gurgaon had already established themselves. But in the last six years, the city has grown to become the startup capital of India, with some of the most successful startups in the country operating from innovative initiatives like T-Hub and T-Works in Hyderabad.
The unstinted support from the State government has seen unique business ideas from youngsters going on to establish themselves. One such startup from the city is RACEnergy, a swappable electric batteries destination.
“There are two kinds of models in electric vehicles, one is the regular charging model, which most people are aware of, and the other is the swapping model, where one just has to swap the discharged batteries with the charged ones at our swapping stations,” explains 25-year-old Arun Sreyas, who started the company along with Gautham Maheswaran in 2018.
Presently working with only auto-rickshaws, the drivers are connected through an app where the driver gets to know how much battery is left, the location of the closest swapping station, how efficiently he is driving, and so on. Coming under the hardware umbrella, the automotive startup has also worked with T-Works for experimenting with and improving its services.
“T-Works has helped us in many ways, one being — the sourcing. They have helped us source several required components from all across the country and the world for the best price. Secondly, in terms of setting up a facility, it has been a key player in identifying what is the machinery or test equipment necessary and so it becomes easy for startups as they don’t have to invest huge money on buying this equipment every time,” shares Arun.
“Also, now that we have been involved with T-Works since 2018, we are getting many opportunities for collaborations from electrical or automobile companies. It is really a good enabler which helps startups get potential contacts and contracts,” he adds.
Recently released Electric Vehicle (EV) policies have also been a boon for several startups that fall under the criteria. “Officials have also been pro-active, and we are working with the government to set up swapping stations across the city,” says Arun, who has one swapping station at Hitec City at present.
Expressing his satisfaction with the State policies and support for startups, Arun says: “One can be assured that the work gets done.”
