🔒 This resource is locked
Login to unlock the full case deck
Login to Unlock
GearShift Solutions: Building India’s Affordable EV Charging Network Across Metro, Tier 2/3, and Highway Corridors
ONE-LINE SUMMARY
A data-driven market entry strategy for an EV charging startup tackling India’s 41:1 EV-to-charger gap through solar infrastructure, petrol pump partnerships, and a subscription-first app.
1. About the Case Competition
Stratethon is the flagship strategy case competition hosted by IIFT Delhi, one of India’s premier institutions for international trade and management. Team Orange Juice from IIM Rohtak secured 1st Runner Up at this highly competitive national-level event. The case domain centered on EV infrastructure strategy, challenging participants to design a scalable, financially sustainable market entry plan for a new-age EV charging network from the ground up.
2. Problem Statement Overview
India’s EV ecosystem faces a structural bottleneck — a staggering 41:1 ratio of EVs to available charging points. With the government targeting 30% EV penetration by 2030 and the market projected to reach approximately ₹50,000 crores, the infrastructure gap is not just a convenience problem; it is a market-defining barrier. 67% of EV respondents cite charging infrastructure as the single biggest deterrent to adoption. GearShift Solutions enters this gap positioning itself as the affordable, tech-enabled alternative to existing players like Tata Power, Charzer, and Exicom, each of whom sacrifices either cost, reach, or technology.
3. What This Winning Deck Covers
The deck opens with a sharp TAM-SAM-SOM market sizing framework grounding GearShift’s ambition in credible numbers before any solution is proposed. The geographical strategy uses a spider chart analysis to score Metro cities, Tier 2/3 cities, and Highways across five dimensions — EV adoption rate, competition intensity, revenue growth, regional policy support, and land acquisition ease — producing a phased expansion logic judges can trace and validate.
The core solution architecture rests on three pillars: Solar Powered Grids (SPGs) that eliminate peak-hour energy dependency and cut electricity costs significantly; petrol pump conversions through a hybrid charging station model that leverages existing footfall and infrastructure without heavy greenfield investment; and a home charging point network priced at ₹20-25K versus a competitor benchmark of ₹35-40K, making affordability a genuine differentiator.
The GreenShift App ties everything together through real-time slot booking, in-app route optimization, emission tracking, and a rewards system that directly incentivizes sustainable behavior.
5 tactical learning takeaways:
- How to structure a CapEx vs OpEx breakdown per unit for infrastructure businesses
- Applying FAME-II subsidy logic to reduce capital intensity in a regulated sector
- Building a multi-stream revenue model (station fees + subscriptions + hardware sales) to reduce single-point revenue dependence
- Using competitive positioning maps to identify whitespace between affordability and technology
- Designing freemium acquisition loops (15 min free charging) tied to app sign-up conversion
4. The Numbers
TAM: $62.5B | SAM: $50B | SOM: $3.75B by 2030. Year 1 projected revenue: approximately ₹123 Cr across all streams. Self-owned station CapEx: ₹80L per unit. Annual OpEx: ₹20L per station. Solar integration reduces electricity costs by ₹4-5L per station annually. Breakeven target: Year 6 for self-owned stations. Government incentives cut CapEx by 12.5% under FAME-II. Home charger priced at ₹20-25K against a competitor benchmark of ₹35-40K.
5. Who Should Study This Deck
Essential for students targeting infrastructure, sustainability, or new venture strategy cases. You will sharpen your market sizing discipline, geographic prioritization logic, and unit economics modeling — three skills that consistently separate strong from exceptional case presentations. Particularly relevant for undergraduates and first-year B-school students building their first end-to-end strategy deck. Explore more decks like this at CaseBuzz.
6. Related Decks on CaseBuzz
Cityscape 2.0 — IIM Rohtak + Lucknow: Climate-Resilient Urban Infrastructure Strategy Directly comparable in its approach to urban infrastructure planning and phased geographical rollout across city tiers.
Taxi2Sky — Sustainable Sky Economics by Masters Union Covers sustainable mobility economics, making it a strong complement for understanding clean transportation strategy and unit economics.
GNFC Neem Project — Profit with Purpose Strategy Studies how sustainability-led businesses build financial models that satisfy both green mandates and investor returns.
Nautica 2026 — MDI Gurgaon Integrated Pollution Governance Strategy For anyone wanting to understand the regulatory and governance dimensions that underpin climate-aligned business strategy including subsidy logic.
Case Forge — Strategic Case Competition by IIT Kharagpur Broad strategy competition deck useful for benchmarking presentation structure and competitive framework application.