Look At Earning Potential To Create Profitable Business: Blive

As the world moves towards the advancement, the electric vehicles have emerged as a hero in the age of technology which has now become need of the hour to reduce the carbon emission and pollution in the air. The aim to bring EVs is to provide a sustainable transport and future to the world. Many organisations and government are working in full swing to improve the ecosystem and to encourage more and more people to adopt EVs instead of ICE vehicles.

Speaking to Opportunity India, Samarth Kholkar, Co-Founder and CEO, Blive shared the journey of their company and told how they came up with the solution for the market.

He told that the Blive was started in late 2018 with an idea to basically address three key problems of the adoption of electric vehicles- awareness, access, and affordability.

“The whole idea was to ensure that we build a bridge that connects consumers to EVs and we go with the proposition of being the EV experts and helping the consumer transition in the entire process or the life cycle of discovery to commerce. This idea essentially came up because we realized that the bigger problem or the purpose with which we started this organization was to ensure that the mission is to drive the adoption of sustainable mobility,” Kholkar added.  

He said both the founders (Sandeep and I) come from tier 2, tier 3 towns, and we had seen that due to growing vehicular pollution, the pollution was getting impacted not only in the larger cities but also in the smaller towns.

“So we took it as a mission that should drive the adoption of sustainable mobility. So despite coming from deep corporate backgrounds, we decided to essentially take this route of building this EV mobility platform,” he said.  

What Challenges Did You Face In Running This Business?

Samarth Kholkar: Being a new category, a new proposition altogether, obviously there were multiple challenges, okay. The challenge began with the fact that electric vehicles is a concept itself or a category itself was new. So people are skeptical about that. And we wanted to give them that experience. So we ensured that there was a high push on the awareness side. We built an EV tourism platform, which essentially gave people their first taste of electric vehicles and now our experience stores which are across all tier 2, tier 3 towns give the same bit of access as well as awareness to electric vehicles thus addressing some of the challenges. The second is essentially a new format of retail in automotive which has never been tried earlier which is multi-brand. There were multiple challenges for a lot of manufacturers to come onto our platform. But now, seeing the traction that we are seeing and the growth that we have demonstrated in the last 12 to 18 months has given them confidence. And now, we are showcasing some of the top brands in the EV 2-wheeler space.

How Does This Business Model Work?

Samarth Kholkar: The business model essentially works in a simple way. We are a platform. Our physical stores are franchisee stores operated by local entrepreneurs and we also ensure that we promote a lot of women at EV entrepreneurship also within the same. In this case, the physical store essentially works very simply that the dealer, in this case, the store partner for Blive will place the order on the manufacturer. Along with the products, there are multiple services like finance, insurance, roadside assistance, charging infrastructure, accessories, spares, and obviously service, post-sales service.

Everything is taken care of at the store level. Everything at a central level is tied up and driven at a local level by the store partners.

Is There Anything Your Company Provides That Entrepreneurs Can Learn About?

Samarth Kholkar: Our platform in fact has groomed almost 20 to 25 EV entrepreneurs who didn't have an EV background per se and have joined us in this beautiful journey of driving sustainable mobility. So, when you look at it that way, we ensure that our store model is built in such a way that the return on their investment is high and they can be a part of this growing EV industry and at the same time do it in a very different and unique way and we are always looking at newer collaboration, newer partnerships, newer services, newer offerings which can enhance their revenue earning potential and that is the value add that we provide.

What Is The Lesson Learnt So Far In This Journey?

Samarth Kholkar: The lesson we’ve learned so far is to be nimble, to be agile, and to ensure that the business is strong enough on processes and people to kind of weather all kinds of changes. We have seen in the last 12 months subsidies going down, we have seen the transition from low speed to high speed, we have seen a shortage in the supply of chips, multiple external as well as internal factors which have impacted the industry as a whole. And despite the same, we have survived each and every challenge, and obviously the inherent challenge of being a multi-brand EV store and working with the local authorities, right, has been a little bit of a challenge. But thankfully, most of the authorities have been future-looking and they have supported us in this initiative.

And that essentially is a huge, huge support system that we have been also able to build over a period of time and it helps us also showcase the product in the right particular manner. Secondly, after-sales service, even if the sale happens, has been a big challenge. And that is where our stores are not just multi-brand product sale touch-points, but also multi-brand service sale touch-points. And that is where our store partners are also happy that in every location, we have seen that they have become EV hubs of sorts.

Anything You Would Like To Advice To Young Entrepreneurs?

Samarth Kholkar: The advice that we would like to give young entrepreneurs is to create a business that has scalability and a profitable model. We have to look at what are the earning potentials of our partners and the entire ecosystem that we work with and not just look at simple traction or acquisition of customers by doling out freebies and creating a hole in the pocket as such.

What Challenges Are There For The OEMS In The Industry?

Samarth Kholkar: The challenges for OEMs are very clear. When you look at it, there are two, three categories of OEMs. One is somebody with a very strong R&D, with a very clear roadmap of product portfolio and everything, and coming in the newer age of companies. And they basically would look at setting up their own distribution network. But in India, setting that up is never easy. So what we offer is a very high premium experience platform spread across India with high penetration in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, which essentially gives the OEMs a very clean entry into these locations.

And it helps us also showcase the product in the right particular manner. Secondly, after-sales service, even if the sale happens, has been a big challenge. And that is where our stores are not just multi-brand product sale touchpoints, but also multi-brand service sale touchpoints. And that is where our store partners are also happy that in every location, we have seen that they have become EV hubs of sorts.

What Is The Idealisation For Ev Mobility In The Tier 2 & Tier 3 Markets In India?

Samarth Kholkar: In tier 2 and tier 3 markets, the idealization for EV Mobility is gaining significant traction. These markets have shown tremendous potential for EV adoption due to several factors. Firstly, the cost of EVs has become more affordable with government incentives and decreasing battery costs. Secondly, enhancing charging infrastructure and extending the range of EVs have addressed the limitations of range anxiety. Furthermore, the environmental benefits, such as reduced emissions, have resonated with these markets. According to recent statistics, EV sales in tier 2 and tier 3 cities have witnessed a notable surge, highlighting the growing interest and acceptance of EV mobility in these markets.

How Multi Brand Retail In Evs Is Redefining The Age-Old Automotive Distribution Model?

Samarth Kholkar: Multi brand retail in EVs is revolutionizing the age-old automotive distribution model in remarkable ways. Unlike traditional automotive retail, Multi brand EV retail offers customers greater choice, convenience, and transparency. With a wide range of EV brands and models available, customers can compare and choose the best-suited option for their needs. It fosters healthy competition among brands, leading to innovative offerings. According to industry data, Multi brand retail in EVs has witnessed a significant increase, with consumers embracing this new approach to automotive shopping. This redefined distribution model not only benefits customers but also drives market growth and encourages manufacturers to adapt to evolving customer preferences.