What can four students from Formula Racing teams accomplish? Why would they shift from creating an electric two-wheeler brand to tackling the rigorous B2B sector? Udhay Singh, COO of Attron Automotive, shares their journey with EFY’s Mukul Yudhveer Singh.
Q.What is Attron Automotive?
A. Attron develops motors and motor controllers. Our focus is permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) control and technology. We have been granted three patents, one of which is pending.
Q. Focus on motor and motor controllers. Does that mean you are writing the algorithms yourself?
A. All the algorithms used in our developing controllers are written in-house. We have named it ETA as it represents a framework that can be customised according to customer needs.
Q. But what makes the motor unique?
A. Our motors offer a system efficiency of more than 97%. The average efficiency, on the other hand, is upwards of 92%. In PMSM motors, the best efficiency offered in the market is 82%.
Q. What have you done that is so special with these motors?
A. The magnet topology has made a difference for us. We have been awarded a patent around the same. We have arranged magnets so that the magnetic linkage flux, otherwise wasted, is being used efficiently. This also allows us to use fewer magnets, resulting in reduced costs for us and our customers.
Q. Are all four patents around the same?
A. Two patents are on the stator side, while the other two are on the rotor side. Our portfolio ranges from 1kW to 200+kW.
Q. Is there a proof of concept (PoC) for the same?
A. We have done several PoCs with many potential customers. While we cannot provide more information due to non-disclosure agreements, most companies we have carried out PoCs with have placed orders with us. A PoC with a two-wheeler manufacturer helped increase the vehicle range by 25%.
Q. What triggered your interest in motors and motor controllers?
A. My co-founders Shubham and Mausam met while Shubham was working on motors. They both decided that we should all start developing an electric motorcycle. Later, Mohit joined us as he was working on electronics. We started looking for components and found that the specifications we sought were not available in India. We had to either source them from China or elsewhere. That’s when we started developing motors and motor controllers.
Q. Where does the experience come from?
A. All the co-founders have been part of formula student teams. We have participated in formula student championships across the globe and have worked closely with formula car engineers. These competitions have helped us create solutions on limited budgets. Though we initially worked with petrol-powered cars, we also had to work on electric powertrain and driverless car tech as new norms started to prevail in these competitions.
Q. Was the problem prevalent in the industry?
A. Yes, every two- and three-wheeler OEM we know was facing the same problem. That was the point we shifted our focus from motorcycles to motors and controllers. We raised seed funding last June, and since then, we have been concentrating on the B2B market.
Q. Are there confirmed orders for motors and controllers? Or are you in the PoC stage as of now?
A. Focusing on two- and three-wheelers, we will be delivering close to 3,000 motors this year. The conversion duration in the automotive domain is high. At the same time, we have already started supplying the defence sector. We are also setting up an assembly line in Pune to increase production.
Q. Do you also see use cases beyond automotive and defence?
A. Yes, we see these as a direct fit for any solution where propulsion or motors are required. Some of the use-cases include operations in defence, aviation, industries, agritech, and automotive. We have even received inquiries for buses, trucks, elevators, and lifts. We will start addressing these markets after our bandwidth increases. We expect that 60% of our business will be from the automotive sector, while the rest will be from the sectors mentioned above.
Q. Is a B2B startup easier than a B2C startup?
A. I won’t say one is easier than the other. However, in a B2B business, your CAPEX is very low as you don’t need to set up a dealership channel. The recent round of funding we raised only took four to five months to finalise.
Q. On the sourcing side, how much is happening from India?
A. Except for neodymium magnets, semiconductors, and MCUs, we are sourcing everything from India. These magnets are sourced from both China and Japan. If the customer wants a low-cost motor, we import the magnet from China; otherwise, we import them from Japan or elsewhere.
Q. Are the original plans for entering the electric vehicle OEM business in place?
A. No, we will not be entering the two-wheeler market. We would only focus on the component business. Our expansion in the future would revolve around magnet-free motors, including ADAS. Motors and controllers will still be needed even if a hydrogen fuel cell comes into the picture.
Q. Is there business on the international side as well?
A. Many OEMs we are working with are assembling our motors outside India. However, we would soon announce collaborations with some European companies. Currently, our motors and controllers are being deployed in African countries. At present, we can only manufacture 15,080 motors a month, but in two months, once the new assembly line is set up, that number will increase to thousands.
