How is India steering the next wave of electric mobility? Mr Hari Shankar from Montra Electric discusses the link between productivity and sustainability in EV adoption, the software-first approach transforming commercial vehicles, and how data-driven diagnostics boost fleet uptime in a conversation with EFY’s Vidushi Saxena and Saba Aafreen.
Q. What motivated the Murugappa group to enter the EV space and choose Montra Electric as the subsidiary?
A. The Murugappa Group has a 125-year heritage in engineering and mobility, starting with bicycles and evolving across automotive products. With electric vehicles (EV) emerging strongly in India and sustainability becoming a key focus, the group entered clean mobility through TI Clean Mobility. Montra Electric leads this transition, starting with electric three wheelers and expanding into multiple productive EV segments.
Q. What gap is Montra Electric trying to solve in EV mobility?
A. EVs are not just about clean energy and environmental benefits. The second equally important aspect is customer productivity and efficiency. Today, logistics efficiency in India remains low, resulting in significant losses in moving goods from point A to point B. Even a 20-30% improvement can have a strong economic impact and improve livelihoods. EVs, combined with digital and software solutions, enable both energy transformation and a fundamental shift in how transportation and logistics businesses operate.
Q. Can you tell me the product portfolio of Montra Electric?
A. We operate across multiple EV segments. In three-wheelers, we offer both passenger and cargo vehicles and have also introduced an e-rickshaw, which will be launched soon. In the small commercial vehicle (SCV) segment, we are present in the 3.5-tonne payload class and are developing additional payload variants. For heavy commercial vehicles, we focus on 55-tonne 6×4 and 4×2 tractor-trailers for haulage, and we have also launched 28-tonne tippers. In the tractor market,we are present in the 27-horsepower segment and are developing new products in this category.
Q. Can you explain the software-first approach for our non-technical audience?
A. A software-first approach means building vehicles with software at the core. Modern vehicles rely on electronic systems controlled by software that manages how the vehicle operates.
With built-in connectivity, the software enables improvements in features, efficiency, and performance over time through updates. This means the vehicle can continue improving over its life, rather than remaining fixed from the day it is purchased.
Q. Can you talk about Montra electrics innovations?
A. Our three-wheeler features a unique, aspirational design that won the Red Dot Design Award, proving that three wheelers can be reinvented with better space, comfort and range. This design platform is now used across our three-wheeler variants.
We were also among the first in India to launch electric trucks, with over 400 trucks sold and millions of kilometres successfully completed. In addition, we were the first to introduce an electric tractor in the country, with close to 100 units sold. These innovations reflect our focus on redefining electric mobility across segments.
Q. You follow a software-first approach across all vehicle segments. How does this work at your end?
A. Our software-first approach applies across all our vehicles and is driven from the back end. Every vehicle is connected and sends performance and usage data to our cloud systems.
This data helps us understand battery health, range, driver behaviour, and uptime, all of which are critical for commercial users. Using these insights, we improve performance and reliability and fix issues through over-the-air software updates, even while the vehicle is in use. In simple terms, software allows the vehicle to keep improving throughout its life.
Q. How do you detect issues in the vehicle? Is it through driver feedback or through the system?
A. Issues are detected mainly through the system. The driver is the first to be alerted through messages on the instrument cluster. At the same time, the vehicle sends error codes and performance data to our back-end systems. This data is analysed automatically using defined thresholds and patterns to distinguish between normal events and real issues. Based on this, we can identify problems such as breakdowns, charging issues or abnormal battery degradation early.
Q. Do you also get behaviour-based updates?
A. Behaviour-based updates are driven by driver data. We collect information such as driving speed, modes used, braking and acceleration patterns. Based on this, we create a driver score to understand driving quality and identify who may need guidance.
We also share this feedback with drivers through our Montra app. The app includes features such as leaderboards and daily rankings that show distance covered and performance scores. This gamification encourages better driving behaviour while improving efficiency and vehicle health.
Q. Do the drivers communicate with you through the app? How quickly do you respond, and how does issue resolution work?
A. We combine digital support with physical service. Drivers can reach us through the app and our call center and we also have dealer workshops across the country.
We follow two types of diagnostics. Reactive diagnostics address immediate issues such as breakdowns or critical warnings, with the vehicle serviced at the nearest workshop within a few hours to a day, depending on the issue. Proactive diagnostics use vehicle and driving data to identify potential problems early. Based on this, we recommend scheduling preventive maintenance or a service call before a breakdown to improve uptime and reliability.
Q. What are the key challenges in EV adoption, and how is your company addressing them?
A. EV adoption faces three key challenges. First, higher upfront costs, often one-and-a-half to two times that of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, which we address through efficient engineering, battery as a service and improved financing.
Second, range and charging anxiety are addressed by expanding charging networks and integrating them into our platforms to ensure reliable city, highway, and last-mile operations.
Third, service readiness and awareness are addressed by expanding service locations and upskilling customers, technicians, and partners. Together, these efforts drive adoption and build confidence.
Q. Can you tell us about your research and development (R&D) team and where it is based?
A. Our R&D teams are distributed across all four vehicle segments, following a structure of high cohesion and loose coupling. The teams are based in Chennai and Gurugramand have expertise across technologies from simpler three-wheeler battery packs to complex truck electronics and software. They handle development, integration and scale challenges effectively.
Q. Are you collaborating with academic institutions for talent acquisition?
A. We are based in Chennai and have a close tie-up with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. This collaboration helps us upskill our talent, and we work together on their initiatives while they participate in ours. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership that strengthens both talent development and innovation.
Q. Are you planning to export your vehicles?
A. Yes, exports are on our radar. While our vehicles are designed for domestic use, we see strong opportunities in neighbouring countries and across Africa, where established industry players have already found success. We are exploring these markets as part of our growth strategy.
Q. Do you import any components, or is everything developed in-house?
A. Developing everything in-house is not feasible due to the complexity of EV technology. While we design and manufacture a majority of components in India, we also rely on certain specialised components from global suppliers and the wider ecosystem outside India.
Q. How do you integrate a software-first approach across all layers of the vehicle, from the powertrain to the dashboard?
A. We divide the vehicle into domains, with the powertrain including battery, motor, battery management system, vehicle control unit and telematics being the most critical. We control both hardware and software for these systems in-house, solving most of the integration complexity.
The rest comes from sourcing specialised components, but we still design the hardware and software ourselves. All vehicle data is sent to our connected cloud platform, providing full oversight and enabling us to monitor performance and resolve issues quickly.
Q. How does your software’s first approach improve vehicle uptime and reliability?
A. We improve uptime and reliability through advanced diagnostics and predictive maintenance using artificial intelligence (AI). Vehicles continuously send data on batteries, motors and controllers, allowing us to predict issues before they cause downtime.
This data-driven approach ensures high utilisation and optimal performance, with current uptime around 98%. Reliability is reinforced by combining domain expertise, software knowledge, and data science, drawing on industries such as e-commerce and finance.
Q. What role do data and telematics play for fleet customers?
A. Data and telematics are critical for fleet customers because they help manage and optimise vehicle operations. Fleet managers get access to detailed vehicle and driver data, including speed, stoppages, routes and efficiency.
Using this data, 1M portal can suggest ways to improve utilisation, such as running additional trips or optimising routes. It acts as a co-pilot, providing real-time insights and recommendations, while the human operator makes the final decisions. This helps fleets run more efficiently and make informed operational choices.
Q. How does connected vehicle technology improve uptime and productivity for fleet operators using Montra vehicles?
A. Connected vehicle technology forms the foundation of fleet management by providing real-time telematics data. It not only flags breakdowns but also integrates with enterprise systems to track part availability, service centre locations and repair timelines.
By connecting vehicle data with manufacturing and service systems, our One Montra platform helps manage the entire process from issue detection to repair. This end-to-end visibility reduces downtime, ensures faster repairs, and maximises fleet productivity.
Q. Can you share an example where real-time vehicle data helped prevent a breakdown or operational issue?
A. A key example is monitoring battery and charging behaviour, especially in trucks. We track cell-level data to detect imbalances that could lead to breakdowns. If any cell voltage drops below a threshold, our system generates real-time alerts for field personnel. This allows them to address the issue immediately, preventing a breakdown and improving vehicle uptime.
Q. How do you use software for predictive maintenance in your EVs, and how do you plan to improve it?
A. Software in the electronic control units (ECUs) plays a key role by sending error logs and diagnostic messages. We continuously enhance these diagnostics to capture even minor issues. Data is typically collected every minute, but in critical cases, we collect it every second/millisecond to catch anomalies.
This high-frequency data enables precise predictive maintenance, allowing us to detect potential issues before they escalate. Going forward, we plan to further refine diagnostics and data collection to make predictive maintenance even faster and more accurate.
Q. Does cloud disruption ever affect your systems, and how do you handle it?
A. We use one of the top three hyperscalers, so global disruptions can affect us, but these are rare and usually quickly resolved. Local disruptions can occur due to maintenance or data issues with partners. To minimise impact, our devices store data offline and automatically sync it to the cloud once the connection is restored, ensuring minimal disruption and operational continuity.
Q. How does the air update change the ownership experience for customers?
A. We take informed consent from customers before collecting data or updating the ECU. We explain the benefits, including improved range, better diagnostics, increased reliability, and reduced range anxiety.
Software updates are delivered over the air, eliminating the need for customers to visit workshops. This reduces costs and ensures the vehicle’s performance and uptime continue to improve throughout its life.
Q. Has Montra Electric explored edge technology to complement your cloud systems?
A. Not yet. Currently, edge technology is used in limited areas to control vehicle components, but we do not perform intensive edge computing because it requires high computing power, energy, and cost. The industry, especially passenger cars, is moving in this direction, and we are exploring it as a future enhancement.
Q. Do you use a common software platform across three wheelers, SCVs, and trucks?
A. Our back end is largely common and standardised wherever relevant. Within each vehicle segment, the software platforms are standardised; for example, three-wheelers share a common platform, and tractors share another. However, a one-size-fits-all approach is not feasible for the vehicles themselves, given differences across segments such as small and heavy commercial vehicles.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge in building software-led EV platforms for commercial use in India?
A. Developing software-defined vehicles is a major transformation for the industry. Most talent in India, especially in commercial original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), has traditionally focused on mechanical skills like chassis and body design. Software-driven development requires different skills, ways of working, and awareness of how software impacts customers and OEMs.
Software development follows its own cycle and model, emphasising rapid iteration and quick fixes, which differ from traditional mechanical processes. Challenges include educating the industry, designing robust software and system architectures, and managing complex integration as electronics and vehicle architectures scale. Variants further increase complexity, making time-to-market challenging.
Q. How is your software architecture designed to support scalability across different vehicle categories?
A. Software architecture differs between the vehicle and the cloud. In the vehicle, it is an embedded development optimised for limited memory and processing power, tightly integrated with the hardware. We focus on making the software abstract and scalable while keeping application logic straightforward.
In the cloud, complexity is managed with hyperscalers and open source tools, enabling us to standardise applications and scale efficiently across different vehicle categories.
Q. You often highlight uptime as a key outcome of your software strategy. How does software help vehicles stay on the road longer?
A. Data is the foundation. It tells us how components communicate, whether parameters are within thresholds, and highlights potential issues. The next step is to analyse and interpret this data to generate actionable insights.
Using our One Montra platform and app, fleet owners, drivers, and we, as an OEM, can monitor vehicles 24/7. This real-time visibility allows issues to be addressed before they cause downtime, keeping vehicles on the road longer.
Q. With increasing connectivity and large volumes of data, how do you address cybersecurity risks?
A. We focus on two key aspects: authentication, ensuring the right person accesses the system and authorisation, ensuring they access the right resources. Security starts in development, including static and dynamic source code analysis, and continues through deployment to protect our IP.
Q. What software capabilities are you most excited about in the next two to three years, and are there any upcoming innovations at Montra Electric?
A. We are most excited about integrating AI, particularly large language models, to enable faster, more meaningful diagnostics and decision-making. AI will increasingly be embedded across vehicle components.
Another key trend is low-code and no-code development, which will simplify software creation and integration, boosting productivity. These advancements will enhance both our products and internal development processes, shaping the future of Montra Electric.
