Business
Nilesh R Bothra, Co-Founder & CEO of Calamus, joins Divya on this episode. Calamus has developed the world’s safest and most advanced e-bike, the Ultrabike. With customers from over 27 different countries, they are taking Indian developed technology and innovation to the global stage. They discuss: Q. The Electric Bike market is expected to grow heavily during and post COVID-19 worldwide, speak to us about how sales have been for you? Which country tops your list? Q. Is the EB market facing only a COVID-19 assisted boom? What happens after? Q. Can you explain your business model in more detail? Why chose to crowdfund? Q. EB is environment-friendly, significant health benefits and has the Indian govt support but does the infrastructure support this industry? Do you even get the complete experience on a normal/dirt road? Q. Owning a car is an economic symbol for upward mobility in India - what are your thoughts on this? How do you change the consumer behaviour pattern of a developing country like India? Q. We are going to see Electric cars in India by 2021, and infrastructure will be developed for it, by the likes of Uber, charging points etc. What happens to EB market then, presumably the target audience is very different? Will the electric cars movement aid the electric bike movement also as its a complementary industry? A bane or a boon? Q. Bike-sharing is a thrilling new model of public and private transportation that has rapidly emerged in recent years - do you form part of this or any plans to in the future? Your thoughts on the dockless bike-sharing market? Q. Battery maintenance is a significant concern with e-bikes. Electric bike batteries have a limited life span, which is about 2-3 years for lithium-ion chemistry. Is this the case today as well? Q. What would you say your biggest mistake has been in this industry as an entrepreneur? Or your most significant learning? Follow the Dialogue Room IG page to become smarter https://www.instagram.com/dialogueroom/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dialogue-room/message