Bharath Krishna Rao Potluri is a renewable energy–led entrepreneur with deep experience across power generation, energy storage and electric mobility. Having scaled wind and solar assets in India and now leading Emobi, he brings a systems-level understanding of energy, manufacturing and EV adoption. His leadership blends frugal engineering, localised manufacturing and data-driven decision-making to accelerate sustainable mobility at scale.
In an interview for “End-user Revolution: ALuminium's Impact on Modern Living” e-Magazine, Rao explored through Emobi’s role in India’s fast-growing EV two-wheeler and last-mile delivery market, highlighting frugal engineering, microfactory-led manufacturing, battery flexibility and cost-efficient fleet economics. It also examines policy impact, TCO benchmarking, energy storage integration and how EVs intersect with renewable energy and future grid ecosystems.
AL Circle: Could you briefly introduce Emobi? What segment(s) of the EV market does Emobi currently target (e.g., personal commuter two-wheelers, last-mile delivery, utility vehicles)? How has that evolved since inception?
Bharath Rao: Emobi is a Bengaluru-based electric vehicle (EV) startup focused on designing and manufacturing smart, frugally engineered EVs for last-mile delivery, passenger transport, and personal mobility. The company champions localised microfactories and lean manufacturing to make sustainable mobility accessible across India’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
We always design our vehicles from the ground up with a strong emphasis on reliability, performance, and after-sales service, tailored for personal mobility and e-commerce applications. These rugged electric two-wheelers are built to serve both urban and rural India effectively. Emobi offers flexible battery solutions, including both battery swapping and fixed battery packs with fast charging, allowing consumers to choose what best fits their needs. Our collaboration with Livaah has introduced solar charging capabilities for the dual-use battery pack, highlighting advanced vehicle-to-grid storage technologies and expanding sustainable options for users.
AL Circle: What is your assessment of the size and growth rate of India’s EV two-wheeler / lastmile delivery vehicle market today? What data are you tracking internally (sales, orders, utilisation)?
Bharath Rao: India’s electric vehicle market is gaining strong momentum, with over 2 million EVs sold in 2024 and continued growth in FY25, reaching 2.08 million units, accounting for 7.6 per cent of total vehicle sales. This surge is primarily driven by two- and three-wheelers, especially in the last-mile delivery segment, where small fleet operators are leading the adoption. At Emobi, we closely monitor sales conversions, active orders, and utilisation rates to maximise uptime and lower the total cost of ownership for our customers.
AL Circle: Which regions/states in India are showing the fastest growth for EV adoption in your target segments, and what factors (subsidy, infrastructure, fleet demand) are driving that growth? And in all this, what role do policies and incentives (for instance, subsidies, FAME-II, GST reductions, battery-swap regulation) play in your business planning and market forecasting?
Bharath Rao: India’s EV landscape has witnessed a dynamic change, and regions like Delhi NCR, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have shown strong growth driven by strong fleet demand, increasing last-mile delivery, improvement in charging and battery swapping infrastructure and state supporting incentives.
Growth in our sector depends on multiple factors like state subsidies, the central government’s incentive via FAME II and investment in public charging infrastructure to ease range anxiety to adapt EV for daily work.
Policies and regulations are the foundation for any business and sector growth. The government’s decision on FAME II incentives, GST reduction on battery & increasing investment in public charging and battery swap infrastructure plays a crucial role in our business planning and future forecasting, directly influencing product strategy, pricing models, and the rollout of microfactories in high-demand, policybacked regions.
To read the complete interview in details, click here
