About Us

How we started charging business in India

In October 2016, Rami Syvari, leading Charge & Drive's International Business, and Awadhesh Kumar Jha, Executive Director of GLIDA, arrived in India from Finland. While they were on the plane, Rami took a picture of Delhi. However, the city was covered in smog, a kind of thick air pollution that stays around in the city known as city of ‘people with big hearts’ every year during that time. When they landed at the airport in Delhi, Rami felt the effects of pollution, which reminded him of the challenges faced by cities in India. At that moment, he realized that the next big thing for electric cars had to happen here.

The management team entrusted Awadhesh with the responsibility of analyzing the Indian auto market and strategizing the positioning of electric vehicles in the country. Given his successful track record of smoothly transitioning between various technologies, making notable contributions in hydro, solar, sustainability, and beyond, and excelling through a neutral and pragmatic approach, he was well-suited for the task.

The management team entrusted Awadhesh with the responsibility of analyzing the Indian auto market and strategizing the positioning of electric vehicles in the country. Given his successful track record of smoothly transitioning between various technologies, making notable contributions in hydro, solar, sustainability, and beyond, and excelling through a neutral and pragmatic approach, he was well-suited for the task.

Early days, deliberations & decisions

With deep studies, we realized that India has a huge opportunity and the potential to take the lead in electric mobility.

The next question we deliberated was: What role should we play in the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem to give it a head-start and create the most value? Should we start by selling software that links EV users to charging points, or should we invest in building charging infrastructure to ease range anxiety among EV enthusiasts and boost confidence, thereby driving the market towards widespread adoption of electric vehicles?

Guided by our long-term vision and a commitment to invest not only in establishing a strong charging infrastructure but also in laying the groundwork for a thriving electric vehicle industry, we embarked on our journey with a leap of faith.

Through our rich experience and learnings from Nordics, we have grown steadily as a Charge Point Operator and ensured that we share our expertise with the industry to give it a competitive edge to turn our dream of vehicle electrification into reality.

Today, our success might appear effortless, but those familiar with our behind-the-scenes operations understand that it hasn't resulted solely from being first to market or sheer luck. Rather, it has been achieved through the dedicated efforts of our team, a relentless pursuit of smart technology, anticipation of user preferences, meticulous attention to detail, active support extended to government think-tanks through advocacy for favorable policies, early leadership in task forces to establish guiding principles, and unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service. We are proud of the commitment and dynamism that our Team brings to set us as an exemplar in the electric vehicles industry.

We will always remain true to our sense of purpose for building a cleaner world and turning ‘All Lights Green’.