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Returning to India after spending close to two decades in Singapore was not an easy decision for Hemalatha Annamalai, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ampere Vehicles, a company spearheading India’s electric bike revolution. Annamalai took the plunge against all odds and admits to having no regrets about this decision.
She wanted to come back for three reasons: one, to give something back to the country; two, to take on a large project that would have a visible impact in rural and semi-urban markets; and three, to get involved with manufacturing, which was not a woman-friendly sector.
The niche that she chose, electric vehicle manufacturing, was even more challenging, given that it is still a nascent industry here; policies have only just started to evolve.
The company, a wholly owned unit of Ampere Vehicles, Singapore, makes battery-operated electric vehicles: eScooters, eCycles, customised load carriers, low-cost mobility products for textile mill workers and three-wheelers for the disabled.
Ampere is not this entrepreneur’s maiden venture. She started her first project at the age of 27, in Singapore, and had promoted a couple of small ventures before returning to India aged 38.
“I was at a cross-point for, this time, I wanted to do something more for the rural markets and not merely a money chasing proposition. Success, I realised, is not money, fame or image, but a destination and in this journey people should walk, run and enjoy, for that’s all life is about,” she says.
Huge challengeAccording to Annamalai, every day is a challenge for entrepreneurs in India. In Singapore, if an individual had a business plan, all that he/she would need to do is execute it. Processes are well defined and the system is entrepreneur-friendly and straightforward. There is only one tax. The situation is totally different here. From operational infrastructure to policy announcements, taxation to transparency and ease of doing business, every step has been an uphill task, says Annamalai.
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