Sheetanshu Tyagi: The Hardware Engineer Solving India's Battery Problems
From Rivian's first 50 employees to building a ₹200cr Indian battery startup- Sheetanshu Tyagi's contrarian approach is reshaping EV technology with 20-minute charging and immersion cooling innovation
In an industry obsessed with software solutions and exotic battery chemistries, Sheetanshu Tyagi took the road less traveled. His diagnosis was simple yet revolutionary: "The hardware itself is fundamentally weak." This contrarian insight became the foundation of EMO Energy, now valued at ₹203 crores and manufacturing over 1,000 battery packs monthly.
Check out the video of the conversation here or read on for insights.
The Making of an EV Pioneer
Early Foundation: Engineering Excellence at Its Core
Sheetanshu's journey began with a solid foundation in mechanical engineering. His Bachelor of Science degree from Manipal Institute of Technology was followed by a Master's degree from Virginia Tech, where he developed the first-principles thinking that would later define his entrepreneurial approach.
During his academic years, Tyagi wasn't content with theoretical knowledge. He led teams in fabricating complete off-road vehicles for the demanding BAJA competition and conceptualized multi-functional rural vehicles tailored specifically for India's unique transportation needs. These hands-on projects ingrained in him a profound understanding of mechanical design, fabrication, and the critical importance of building systems that withstand real-world stress.
There's nothing much other than this we do. Like we just focus on this and that's all we do. I don't know anything about like a hundred other things that happen in the world.
This singular obsession with automotive engineering would prove to be his greatest asset in the years to come.
The Global Education: From Silicon Valley to Bangalore
Tyagi's professional journey reads like a masterclass in EV innovation. His decade-long "tour of duty" across the world's most innovative automotive companies provided him with a rare, panoramic view of the global electric vehicle industry.
Alta Motors (2016-2017): The Motorcycle Revolution At Alta Motors in California, Tyagi worked directly with the Head of Engineering on what was then the world's first high-power EV motorcycle. In a company of fewer than 40 people, he built, designed, and released the entire electrical and chassis system for production, supporting the company through its first 50 sales.
Rivian (2017-2019): Tesla's Future Competitor Perhaps his most formative experience came at Rivian, where Tyagi joined as one of the first 100 employees when the company was still in stealth mode. As Tech Lead for Body and Chassis systems, he was instrumental in building the first R1T prototype. His innovations included developing the revolutionary Gear Tunnel and Tailgate systems from scratch, earning him 8 patents in the process.
This experience exposed him to the cutting edge of American EV design, which prioritizes high-performance, durability, and deep system integration for demanding consumer applications. The lessons learned at Rivian about no-compromise engineering would later influence his approach to the Indian market.
Ather Energy (2019-2020): India's EV Pioneer Transitioning to India's startup ecosystem, Tyagi joined Ather Energy as Manager of Battery systems, working on the Ather 450x from concept to production. This role introduced him to the unique challenges of the Indian market: extreme heat and humidity, rough road conditions, and immense cost pressures.
Ola Electric (2020-2021): Mass Market Realities As Program Lead for Battery systems at Ola Electric, Tyagi led the design, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing of the entire Ola S1 battery system. He was the first member of the battery team and oversaw the complete journey from concept to production. It was here that he met his future co-founder, Rahul Patel, a seasoned battery engineer with a decade of experience from General Motors and Sun Mobility.
This unique blend of experiences - understanding the "no-compromise" engineering of premium American EV makers and witnessing the brutal realities of the Indian market - gave Tyagi an unparalleled "insider-outsider" perspective.
The Eureka Moment: Hardware Over Software
Diagnosing the Real Problem
While working at Ola Electric, Tyagi and Patel observed a troubling pattern across India's EV industry. Battery fires were becoming commonplace, performance was inconsistent, and most solutions focused on software patches or expensive, specialized cells.
Their diagnosis was different: "We felt like the problem wasn't just in the fact that there was some software, the hardware itself is fundamentally weak. We're using very high power, very high energy NCS cells and MC cells, and very poorly packing them in a basic system."
This insight became EMO Energy's founding thesis. Instead of chasing expensive, specialized cells and trying to manage them with software, they decided to build a superior system that could elevate the performance of even the most basic, commoditized cells.
We felt like if there was a ground-up solution to design the hardware for the battery pack, get one product right using the most basic cells. So you take the most standard cells in the market, how do we get that to where you have safety so you can offer the confidence the customer wants, you have the right level of performance so you can get the kilometers and the range they require daily, and then you also have the cost right where the TCO makes sense.
EMO Energy: From 2BHK to ₹200 Crores
The Humble Beginning
In February 2022, Tyagi and Patel officially founded EMO Energy, though the legal entity EMO ENERGY LLP was incorporated on December 23, 2021. The company's origin story embodies the classic startup narrative with an Indian twist.
I started EMO out of my 2BHK. For the longest time we ran it out of there, and I couldn't imagine doing that in Mumbai. So it's the Indian equivalent to the garage in Silicon Valley.
This scrappy beginning reflects the founders' commitment to building from the ground up, a trait essential for a capital-intensive hardware venture.
Financial Trajectory: Impressive Growth Metrics
EMO Energy's funding journey demonstrates strong investor confidence in their technological approach:
Funding Rounds:
April 2022: Pre-Seed round from 100X.VC (amount undisclosed)
May 2023: $1.2M Seed round led by Transition VC and co-led by Gruhas
November 2024: $6.2M Series A led by Subhkam Ventures and Red Chillies Entertainment
Total Funding: $7.86 million
Current Valuation: ₹203 crores (approximately $24 million)
Founder Ownership: 36.06% majority stake retained
Operational Metrics (as of 2025):
Revenue FY24: $837K (₹6.93 crores)
Battery Packs Deployed: Over 2,000 units
Monthly Production: 1,000+ battery packs, scaling to 1,500
Distance Covered: 18.3 million kilometers
CO2e Savings: 2,116 tonnes
Urban Reach: 12 cities across India
Employee Count: 43-45 people
The Technology Revolution: ZEN and NEXO Platforms
EMO's competitive advantage lies in their deeply integrated, proprietary technology stack that addresses the EV battery challenge at multiple levels.
The ZEN Platform: Hardware Innovation The ZEN platform represents EMO's foundational intellectual property - a cell-agnostic battery technology with several breakthrough features:
Immersion Cooling System: EMO's most significant differentiator involves submerging the entire battery pack, including cells and electronics, in a specially formulated, non-conductive, mineral oil-based fluid. This liquid has high specific heat capacity, allowing it to absorb heat directly from cells and transfer it efficiently to the pack's aluminum casing. The system maintains uniform temperature across all cells to within 1°C, even during aggressive 20-minute fast charging.
Eggshell Construction: The pack features eight suspension points and rubber dampers, providing superior protection against physical shocks and vibrations common on Indian roads.
Inherent Safety Design: Cylindrical cells are oriented in opposite directions to mitigate thermal runaway propagation, with advanced vents designed to manage pressure safely in case of cell failure.
SENS Platform: AI-Powered Intelligence The SENS (Health & Credit Management AI system) transforms batteries from simple power sources into intelligent, connected assets:
Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models analyze usage patterns and forecast energy demand
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) analyze thermal imaging data to detect heat concentrations
Predictive Analytics create internal resistance maps, identifying inefficiencies and predicting failures
Life Extension: The system extends operational life by up to 30% through data-driven optimization
NEXO: The Integrated Ecosystem The NEXO platform bundles hardware and software into a complete solution for last-mile delivery and quick-commerce operations:
ZenPac: Liquid-cooled, fast-charging battery packs
SWFT: Dual-gun fast chargers supporting up to 20 riders daily
ZenBase: Liquid-cooled Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
Solar Integration: Primary or supplementary energy source capability
Market Strategy: The Quick-Commerce Revolution
Strategic Client Focus
Rather than pursuing the broad consumer market, EMO deliberately targeted high-utilization commercial fleets, specifically quick-commerce and last-mile delivery. This sector is uniquely sensitive to the problems EMO solves: vehicle downtime, operational costs, and reliability.
Blue-Chip Client Portfolio:
Blinkit: Fast-charging facilities at nearly 200 dark stores
BigBasket: Integrated energy solutions across multiple locations
Zepto: Battery and charging infrastructure
Domino's: Complete energy ecosystem for delivery operations
Kinetic Green: OEM partnership for vehicle integration
Quantifiable Impact
The results demonstrate EMO's value proposition:
Rider Productivity: Doubled from 70-80 km per day to 140-160 km per day
Energy Savings: Up to 25% reduction in energy consumption
Cost Reduction: 40% reduction in overall energy-related costs at store level
Fleet Efficiency: Clients can cover the same delivery volume with nearly half the number of riders
Pricing and Business Model Evolution
EMO's current pricing structure reflects their strategic positioning:
Battery Packs: ₹12,000-17,000 per kilowatt hour
Monthly Rental Model: ₹5,000 for 2,000 kilometers of mobility
Cost Breakdown: 50% vehicle and battery assets, 20% charger and electricity costs, 30% service and operations
Gross Margins: Currently achieving double-digit margins, targeting 20%+
Strategic Transition: EMO is evolving from a hardware-focused company (currently 90% of revenue) to a services-oriented platform, targeting 50%+ revenue from software and services within 3-5 years.
The Competitive Landscape: A Three-Way Battle
EMO operates in a highly competitive segment alongside two other Bengaluru-based deep-tech startups, each built on fundamentally different technological approaches:
EMO Energy: Holistic System Engineering
Approach: Superior integrated system around standard cells
Key Innovation: Patented immersion cooling and AI optimization
Funding: ~$7.86M
Claim: 20-minute charge time with 5+ year life
Exponent Energy: Off-Board Thermal Management
Approach: Complex thermal management in charger, not vehicle
Key Innovation: "e-pump" charger with water circulation
Funding: >$40M
Claim: 0-100% charge in 15 minutes
Log9 Materials: Advanced Cell Chemistry
Approach: Proprietary cell technology and chemistry
Key Innovation: InstaCharge battery technology
Funding: >$90M
Claim: 15,000+ cycle life, extreme durability
Vision for the Future: Beyond Batteries
Expansion Strategy
EMO's roadmap extends well beyond light electric vehicles:
New Verticals:
Heavy commercial vehicles
Agricultural tractors
Large-scale stationary Energy Storage Systems (ESS)
Industrial and commercial peak power shaving solutions
Diesel generator replacement systems
Target Metrics (Next 2 Years):
Power over 100,000 vehicles
Deploy 1 GWh of energy storage capacity
Expand to 25+ cities across India
The Sodium-Ion Bet
Perhaps EMO's most forward-looking vision involves sodium-ion battery technology. Tyagi believes India has a unique opportunity to bypass the lithium-dominated supply chain:
We'll be able to skip this lithium layer and go directly to sodium. It's an easier manufacturing process, all the raw materials are more locally available, and we can develop it into a system much better.
This vision represents a strategic bet on India's industrial policy and manufacturing capabilities, potentially creating a sovereign battery ecosystem free from Chinese supply chain dependencies.
Manufacturing Ambitions
EMO operates its own battery pack assembly facility near Bangalore with impressive capabilities:
Current Capacity: 2,000 batteries monthly (5 megawatt hours)
Scaling Target: 25 megawatt hours monthly by end of 2025
Annual Capacity Goal: 1 gigawatt hour
Vertical Integration: Everything except cells manufactured in-house, including plastics, metals, electronics, sensors, and firmware
Leadership Philosophy: The Long-Term Thinker
Mission-Driven Approach
EMO Energy's mission reflects Tyagi's broader vision.
To Design, Develop & Commercialize Cutting Edge Technology for the Masses with a focus on Safety, Reliability & Performance.
This isn't just corporate speak. Tyagi's approach to building EMO reflects a genuine commitment to creating lasting impact:
This has to last 100 years. This has to set up as like a foundation for years to come. So thinking one, two, five, and then 10 years and then building it while you're doing it is very important.
The Discipline of Focus
Tyagi's leadership philosophy centers on extreme focus and discipline.
There's nothing much other than this we do. We just focus on this and that's all we do. I don't know anything about like a hundred other things that happen in the world.
This singular obsession has allowed EMO to achieve breakthrough innovations while competitors spread themselves thin across multiple opportunities.
Embracing Uncertainty
Tyagi's most honest insight about entrepreneurship resonates with anyone who has built something from scratch.
Running a startup is like flying a plane while you're building it. And there is really no better way to say this. Like you don't know when it'll crash. You don't know what's going to happen. And yeah, we just keep building it anyway and just keep trying to keep going.
The Road Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
Technical Challenges
Despite EMO's success, significant hurdles remain.
Reliability at Scale: Achieving uptime above 90% consistently across thousands of charging points
Supply Chain Dependencies: Managing exposure to China-dominated lithium processing
Technology Transition: Successfully scaling sodium-ion technology while maintaining current operations
Market Opportunities
The timing appears optimal for EMO's continued growth.
Quick-Commerce Expansion: India's quick-commerce market is exploding, creating massive demand for efficient delivery solutions
Government Support: Increasing policy support for EV adoption and indigenous manufacturing
Energy Independence: Growing emphasis on reducing import dependencies aligns with EMO's sodium-ion vision
Redefining What's Possible
Sheetanshu's journey from Rivian's first 50 employees to building India's most advanced battery technology company represents more than just entrepreneurial success. It demonstrates the power of contrarian thinking, deep domain expertise, and unwavering focus on fundamental problems.
EMO Energy's achievements - from 20-minute charging without battery degradation to doubling rider productivity - prove that breakthrough innovation often comes from questioning basic assumptions. While others chased exotic chemistries and software solutions, Tyagi and his team focused on engineering excellence at the system level.
As EMO Energy scales toward its goal of powering 100,000 vehicles and deploying 1 GWh of storage capacity, they're not just building a company - they're demonstrating a new model for deep-tech innovation in India. Their success offers hope that with the right combination of technical expertise, strategic focus, and relentless execution, Indian startups can compete with the world's best while solving uniquely Indian problems.
The hardware revolution Tyagi envisioned is no longer a thesis - it's a reality transforming how India moves and stores energy. And this is just the beginning.
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