We live in a world of apps

My father used to say "technology is neutral". The technology which makes the apps on our smartphones and our computers is neutral. It can be used for good or otherwise.

In my blog posts I focus on the uplifting changes brought about by technology.

Today, as never before a very large part of humanity is creating or using apps or even working for them!

The other day, when traveling back home, late in the evening I got talking to the driver of an app based cab. It turned out his home was not far from where we were going. "I am wondering whether I should sign off for the day after dropping you" he said.

He wanted to work more but was not sure where app will send him next, and he would have to drive back home all the way if it happened to be at the other end of the city.

In a way he was working for the app!

So he had to either go where the app sent him or sign off for the day.

I felt he was happy for the work the app gave him but also vary on how it will interact with him.

A little different from working for another human.

On the other hand the mutual rating system of apps make the work environment fair. For example in a taxi app, the customer gets to rate the driver and the driver gets to rate the customer.

So there is a degree of fairness. Human biases are reduced.

Freelance apps have brought down the old barriers for finding work. Individual to individual work is possible and is thriving. The mutual rating system works well here as well.

Being able to interact with an app has become a major mode of finding and doing work.

We indeed live and work in a world of apps.


PS
Also see my blog posts:

Freelancing portals and the evolving work market

The Co-worker: the changing nature of work

Customer experience: a people and technology milieu

The way we learn, study, recruit or apply for jobs: it is all changing

Digital markets: when the computers decide

Window to the world: digital access as an enabler

From paper to pixels: how technology is empowering the way we invest.

Navigation then and now: how technology has changed the way we navigate.

Increased EV acceptability, more EVs, more charging points: a virtuous loop

The drive to create more charging stations is encouraging for present and future electric car user.

The ease of availability of electricity everywhere, as opposed to the logistics needed for transporting and storing fuel is a clear winner.

If electric cars become more popular then more charging stations in a diverse locations may become common place.

Increased EV acceptability leading to more EVs being produced and sold leading to more charging points which give further increased EV acceptability is a virtuous loop.

A virtuous loop which is likely to strengthen.

It is interesting to watch this change as it unfolds.


PS.
Also see my blog posts:
My take on the future of EVs

Are small electric cars viable in the Indian market?

Incentives and infrastructure for Electric Vehicles in India:

Electric Vehicles in India: we are at a cusp of change

E Rickshaw shows the way: an electric vehicle success story

Are small electric cars viable in the Indian market?

Typically in the Indian car market a car costing in the region of Rs 6 lakhs (USD 8700) is what people will be tempted to buy. However the smallest electric vehicle in the Indian market is priced more than that.

The entry level small cars in India start at Rs 3 to 4 lakhs. This is the most attractive price range for entry level buyers in India. No electric car is available in this price range.

Couple this issue of price with that of range of electric cars and also with the paucity of charging stations and we can see why we are not seeing more electric cars on Indian roads. While we may get high end electric cars soon. But these will be small in numbers. So to really make a difference competitively priced small electric cars have to be made.

For this to happen batteries for electric cars have to become much cheaper and charging infrastructure has to be created.

The maintenance cost of electric cars will be less than that of internal combustion engine cars simply for the reason that electric cars have much fewer parts than internal combustion engine cars.

Indian customer will not mind some inconvenience when it come to refueling or recharging an electric car. This is evident from the longer but patient car queues we see on compressed natural gas stations as compared to normal gas stations.

So an electric car which is priced competitively and which has low running cost as compared to gasoline cars will be a winner on Indian roads.

This may happen sooner than later.



PS.
Also see my blog posts:
My take on the future of EVs

Incentives and infrastructure for Electric Vehicles in India:

Electric Vehicles in India: we are at a cusp of change

E Rickshaw shows the way: an electric vehicle success story

Incentives and infrastructure for Electric Vehicles in India: a possible way forward, make 'Charging Lots'

An electric car plying as a taxi near Delhi

The big news of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in India today is the huge reduction in the tax rates for EVs and EV chargers. These taxes have been brought down to just 5%.

This is likely to further spur the increase of EVs on Indian roads.

It is natural to be concerned about how far an electric car will travel on a single charge. But what if every place the car is parked has a charging option. Then this becomes less of an issue in short haul intermittent city driving. We could call these portions of the parking lots 'Charging Lots'.

Internal combustion engine cars travel hundreds of kilometers on a single tank of fuel. It takes just a few minutes to refuel and the car is ready for another long trip. However, this fuel takes quite a journey to reach the petrol station. From the crude oil fields to the refinery and then to the pumps. You need ships, pipelines and oil tankers and all sorts of logistics coordination for this to happen.

EVs can travel shorter distances after a long charging time. However, electricity is already reaching every where. No fresh infrastructure is needed except for the actual charging point. No ships, pipelines and oil tankers.

Just set aside a part of every parking lot only for EVs and having charging points installed. Either set a flat parking fee or charge and pay system.

Doing this may make the use of EVs in cities a breeze.

PS.
Also see my blog post:
My take on the future of EVs

Cars like electric engines

Electric Vehicles in India: we are at a cusp of change

For some years now, one has been spotting electric cars on Delhi’s roads. These instances were very few earlier but the frequency is improving. 

What is more, earlier we would see only one type, the Reva. This company which was bought by Mahindra in 2010 and a new model of this car the e2o was now the one we would see of and on. Now we see more cars, the Tata Tigor EV and Mahindra eVerito.  

It is always an exciting moment when you see an electric car. The car not having an exhaust pipe is an oddly delightful sight. The immediate thoughts are of appreciation of the pioneering people who have bought these vehicles. Then the possibility of buying one as the next car. 

The range of the electric car and delay in charging are the two issues which come to mind. The decision of buying a car would be easier if these issues are solved for the lay customer. One buys a car for the feeling of comfort, of being able to use it at the spur of the moment. Somehow electric cars are unable to give such a comfort level as of now.

The performance and ease of use of electric cars must become similar to internal combustion engine cars in order to make major inroads into this market. 

This is not, however, a need in the case of eRickshaws. These eRickshaws use normal lead acid batteries and simple electric motors. Their top speed is about 30 kmph. But they have proliferated in large numbers on our roads in Delhi National Capital Region.

Here the owner is looking at the vehicle earning him a livelihood. So it doesn’t matter. Passengers are always looking for short rides in these eRicksaws. So it is a simple cycle of charging the battery and earning money. The ‘charge and earn cycle’. 

eRickshaws being low tech vehicles are easy to build at very reasonable cost. 

Here we have a success story of electric vehicles in India.

With many more electric cars now being planned for Indian roads and with the incentives being given by the government, the day is not far when many more electric cars will be seen on Delhi’s roads. 

My guess is it will start with low cost cars. 


PS: also see my blog posts 
My take on the future of EVs

E rickshaw the ubiquitous vehicle: grass route technology is improving lives of people,

E Rickshaw shows the way: an electric vehicle success story

E-commerce or local commerce: convenience versus quality

We live in an e-commerce enabled world.

So why do we not buy everything through e-commerce. Why do we buy local. I share some views based on my own experiences.

Convenience is a major reason for buying things online. It is unbeatable as we just order through and app and the stuff is delivered to us on our doorstep.

But there is the issue of quality. The seller is some where far away geographically. Quality issues can not be addressed immediately. Local commerce wins here. You just pick up or change the product there and then.

E-commerce apps use reviews, feedback and replacement options to help customers get a good quality product. But these methods just cannot give the same experience as buying something from a shop.

Another way local shops compete with e-commerce apps is by giving home delivery on telephone. This works very well once trust is built up between the shop keeper and the customer. You still get the stuff delivered to your doorstep and quality is hardly ever an issue.

The large variety of similar products available on e-commerce apps is unbeatable. This is something local commerce cannot easily compete with. The simplicity of choosing from a large variety the exact product you need is quite unique to e-commerce apps.

Buying something from shops in your vicinity gives one a feeling of supporting your immediate community. Buying something from e-commerce, on the other hand, gives one a feeling of supporting a distance innovator. Both have their own place.

So it is really a contest between convenience and quality, it seems.

Cars in India: Then and now

"My friend works for an Indian car manufacturer and is very happy as they are very good employers". I was very pleasantly surprised when the person who had come to check us in to our room in Italy said this.

You see I grew up at at time in India when there were no Indian designed cars on Indian roads.

We had an option of buying a Hindustan Ambassador, a Fiat or a Standard Herald. Each manufacturer made only one model. So we grew up thinking that was how cars were made; one company one car model!

Even so it was difficult for a middle class family to afford a car. Most people used a two wheeler or a bicycle. Cars had to be booked and waited for till your turn came.

My father bought a Fiat in 1972. It was an amazing experience. The smell and comfort of a new car. It soon became the car for the extended family.

The roads in Delhi those days were not very crowded. There were no fly overs, except for over railway lines. It was easy to get around.

But the point is that all these cars were not of Indian design. They were designs by foreign companies and were being made under license in India.

Today if you drive around Delhi you will come across many Indian designed cars. Indian designed and manufactured cars are now competing with the best of foreign brands.

The irony is that for many years when car companies in India had a captive market, as the policy was to provide them a protected marketplace, but they did not design and manufacture home grown cars.

And now with a open market with the best of brands from the world we have Indian manufactures designing world class cars.

Competition is spurring high quality home grown engineering.

And Indian companies are moving to other parts of the world.

It is nice as then as a tourist you get to hear nice things about our companies and engineers when you travel abroad.

We have come a long way it seems.