Tsuyo Manufacturing, founded in 2020 by three young entrepreneurs (Vijay Kumar, Lalit Baid, and Tripurari Kumar), is a Greater Noida-based EV startup.
The founders are serial entrepreneurs and successful professionals from India’s top premier institutions like NITs and IIMs/SPJain/IIFT.
The startup manufactures electric motors and controllers for electric vehicles, and they claim to supply them to many OEMs in three-wheeler (low speed and high speed), four-wheeler, and off-road vehicle segments. Within one-and-a-half years of its establishment, the startup has managed to receive funding from Ramkrishna Forgings of $12 million to support the next five years of expansion and growth.
They have used numerous patterns to design motors. For current supplies, the company is engaged in producing BLDC, PMSM, and AC synchronous electric motors for various applications as per customer end usage and requirement. One notable technology is the permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motors (PMaSynRM), as well as ferrite-based and rare-earth free magnet design. Additionally, SRM-based and axial flux motors are a few new technological frontiers the company is working upon.
“Our designs incorporate new processes and materials, replacing conventional usage of BoM components in the construction of motors like Si-Fe-based motor lamination and new impregnation techniques and winding techniques. These innovations have led to substantial enhancements in power and performance. Moreover, advancement in drive technology involves the implementation of various algorithms and optimisation techniques, along with controller strategies that improve motor performance within an integrated system,” shares Vijay Kumar, Co-Founder of Tsuyo Manufacturing.
This startup also helps in vehicle conversion. “The conversion process extends the vehicle’s lifespan, as it can be used beyond the typical 10 to 13 years and reduces emissions by avoiding the purchase of a new vehicle. We are involved in conversion projects for commercial vehicles, three-wheelers (such as those from Bajaj, Tata, and Mahindra), and even diesel forklifts. We also undertake conversion projects for excavators and smaller vehicles like skid steer loaders, contributing to low carbon footprint initiatives,” shares Kumar. They convert vehicles by conducting integration testing, validation, and installation in their factory. After the initial conversion, the interested party takes the vehicle to government agencies for licensing and approval.
Tsuyo also offers training and guidelines for conversion to other companies interested in this process. “We also provide ongoing support and guidance for any operational challenges or further assistance needed. Additionally, we arrange to procure other components like batteries and chargers from the market, initially integrating them into the vehicle and later allowing the companies to source these components from different suppliers,” says Kumar.
They already claim to have two manufacturing units in Greater Noida, one focusing on motor windings and the other on assembly. They are also establishing a third unit in Karnataka, South India, which will be operational by the end of December this year.
Interestingly, they are leveraging partnerships with educational institutions too. With NIT Nagpur, they have collaborated on power electronics projects under the mentorship of Professor Kesari, supporting students, interns, and PhD candidates while contributing to new research initiatives. They work with NIAMT Ranchi to develop new materials for motor components. Additionally, Tsuyo has a three-year MoU with IIT Delhi and is an industry partner in a government-funded project there, with a budget of 20 million rupees. They are designing a complete indigenous motor with the IIT Delhi team for this project, planning to launch it in the market once completed.
Tsuyo Manufacturing is expanding its product line to include gearboxes and axles, complementing its existing motor and controller offerings. The company has formalised the design for these products and is preparing to launch production through its investor partner’s factories. Also, they claim to have designed additional components, such as display circuits. The company seeks a manufacturing partner to produce this design as a package. Tsuyo Manufacturing plans to offload assembly and packaging to vendors who supply the components for integration with their motors.
Overall, they reported a remarkable 300% growth in the second year of operations. For the immediate future, “we remain optimistic about achieving a growth rate of 50% this year due to interim expansion and many changeovers and transformation and gearing up for the bigger leap in coming years. We focus on automating production lines and expanding our operations to enhance efficiency,” concludes Kumar.
