1.

What are the strategy levers available to Ghosh, and how does he put together a coherent
winning strategy for Zeu Electric?
a. Supply Side Incentives
i. By 2023, GOI wants all three-wheelers to run on batteries and by 2025, the rule
will be applicable to most two-wheelers.
ii. Under FAME scheme, GOI is providing subsidies ranging from INR 25,000 to INR
61,000, in order to boost the sales of three-wheeler EVs.
iii. According to BNEF, government and private efforts are expected to boost the
number of publicly available charging points to about 2,800.
iv. Delhi government announced a subsidy of INR 30,000 on the purchase of e-
rickshaws.
b. Demand Side Incentives
i. Study shows, running cost of a e-three-wheeler is about Rs 0.5 per km whereas
the petrol-based three-wheelers’ is about Rs 4 per km.
ii. As per data, the drivers are earning about Rs 200-300 more than every day they
use to earn before with petrol vehicle.
iii. There is also a reduction in the physical fatigue that is needed to drive a manual
or cycle rickshaw pullers.
iv. The industry is shifting towards lithium-ion batteries and battery swapping which
runs about 25% longer compared to those conventional charging and about 50%
more compared to Lead-Acid battery-based vehicles.
c. Prospects
i. Going with the government efforts Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow,
and Jaipur present promising markets.
ii. Collaborate with energy suppliers and EV manufacturers to set up battery
swapping infrastructure in strategic locations in these cities.
iii. Zeu can offer discounts to the drivers for the purchase of EVs through these tie-
ups to build a loyal supply chain and driver base
iv. Established network and first mover advantages

2. Can Ghosh script a success story in a segment where there are no playbooks to refer to? How
will Ghosh negotiate this challenging path while managing Zeu and its half a dozen initiatives?
a.
i. As per Pawan Goenka MD at Mahindra & Mahindra, “There is no doubt that the
regular (petrol, diesel, and CNG-powered) three-wheeler will become more
expensive. Hence there will be a better justification for electric three-wheelers.
There is a strong business case today for an end operator to buy an electric
three-wheeler and post-BS-VI it will become even stronger.”
ii. The industry is optimistic of the growth of EV in India. Huge number of vehicle
manufacturers such as Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Lohia Auto Industries etc. and
other related industries have already started adopting this new technology.
iii. The presence of large number suppliers and collaborators in the market, looking
for options to market their EV based products and services, provides Zeu with a
huge bargaining power.
iv. By reducing costs, increasing revenue and reducing physical fatigue, EV has
become a popular choice amongst three-wheeler drivers.
v. Building early relations in this environment shall aid Zeu to achieve greater
loyalty. Therefore, it will become easier for it to maintain its market share.
 vi. Different level of skill set, industry knowledge and experience to understand
batteries and vehicles. Therefore, the idea to spin-off Zeu Electric shall help
them focus and build their EV business.
b.
i. Zeu has great opportunity to become a one stop aggregator for the end
consumers. With changing regulations in the automobile industry, especially in
the EV segment, the costs for food delivery players are going to rise. Already
entering into the EV environment will provide it reap the benefits of its food
delivery business in the coming years.
ii. Additionally, it is a very common practice in India to have rickshaws playing
music. Collaborating Zeu Play with Zeu Electric will help to gain the interest of
both the drivers as well as the riders.
3. Can Ghosh assemble a team, delegate effectively and find a business model to succeed? Does he
have the organisational muscle to manage the complexity when most of his trusted lieutenants
have left and new leadership hires are proving to be short-lived?
a. Organisational Change Policies
i. Appoint a change management consultant
ii. Kurt Lewin’s change model of “unfreezing”, “changing”, and “refreezing”
b. Organisational Structure
i. Adopt a mix of Mechanical to Organic structure
ii. Flattened org structure - Project Based Matrix structure
iii. More decentralisation to increase flexibility
iv. Attract new talents with the perks of working in a flexible org structure
c. New employees
i. Bring in more resources, with an incentive to manage their own teams and
operations more flexibly
ii. Incentivise existing employees through freedom of innovation and
decentralisation
4. Maintaining a robust charging infrastructure will be key to success. What will be the implications
on the overall ecosystem and business model if non-conventional players make an entry into this
domain or some existing conventional partners go out of business? How can Ghosh ensure a
future-proof ecosystem of players?
a. Current Scenario
i. India currently faces power shortage, nevertheless, it is moving towards being a
power surplus nation. Further, as of 2019 India only generates 17 percent of
total electricity from renewable sources.
ii. Government organisations and private companies are working on building EV
charging stations. However, as per reports the growth is still slow and is not
sufficient to accommodate the demand for the charging stations.
iii. The charging infrastructure business is very capital intensive with a long
gestation period.
iv. Currently, there are more than 250 community charging stations operating in
India.
b. Growth Scope
i. The entry of new players will assist the ecosystem to grow faster.
ii. The technology will evolve fast and companies will have to keep up with the
pace. Therefore, it will soon be hit by the phenomenon of tippy-markets, where
three to four most adaptive companies will hold the majority operations.
 iii. The conventional businesses will have to adapt quickly to its ever-evolving
technology.
c. Zeu’s Opportunity
i. The company can collaborate with power distribution companies which are
actively seeking to venture into this field. Zeu, being an early player, can also
enjoy a decent bargaining power with its collaborators.
ii. A fast-evolving charging technology in the E-rickshaw business is battery
swapping station. With comparatively lesser investment, the company can
quickly grow its E-Rickshaw as well as the battery swapping business.
5. How can Ghosh manage the constantly evolving consumer and supplier segment? Is it sufficient
for Zeu Electric to be platform-centric? Are there elements of strategy that should go beyond an
IT platform?
a. Consumer and Supplier Segments
i. Zeu Electric’s business model caters to many sectors, which are, drivers, ridders
and charging facilities.
ii. Both the supplier and customer segment for Zeu Electric is in a very nascent
stage.
iii. Working with these stakeholders in this transition will help Zeu to create a loyal
brand image.
b. Beyond Platform
i. Zeu Electric has to take major strides into building a strong charging
infrastructure.
ii. Strategically, joint ventures will be the most suitable process to expand its
domain. It will help the company to build relations, adopt to technology faster,
share risk, and enjoy sufficient level of flexibility in its operations.
iii. Primary challenge of having multiple collaborations might be the difficulty is
standardisation.
6. How can Ghosh create a partnership model that obtains B2B players’ alignment to the common
strategic dimension, but yet remains sufficiently flexible to operate?
a. Potential
i. Zeu Electric, is one of the earliest adopters in the EV domain.
ii. Collaborative business model creates great opportunity for the EV
manufacturers and drivers who are seeking to transition into EVs.
iii. Further, it also opens a promising window for players in the field of EV charging
infrastructure. This will help Zeu to create faster relations with these companies.
b. Advantages
i. With building partnerships with the upcoming infrastructure companies, it will
be able to create its own standardised operational base
ii. It will help the company to build relations, adopt to technology faster, share risk,
and enjoy sufficient level of flexibility in its operations.
iii. Further, collaborating with the manufacturers to give more incentive to buyers
of EVs and joining Zeu, will help the company build long term loyalty with the
suppliers as well as drivers.
iv. This overall approach will help to achieve greater reliability and flexibility in the
business. It will also make it difficult for new participants to enter fast and
compete with Zeu.