Launched in 2022, by Sameer Arif in January 2022, SWYTCHD is a unique startup that lets you choose an electric vehicle at lower costs and on a subscription basis.

While working for an automobile company for more than eight years, Sameer noticed that the reason why many people in India did not switch to EVs was the upfront cost.

“As the large upfront investment remains a big deterrent to people buying electric vehicles, I thought of starting a subscription model in India,” he says.

He decided to eradicate this issue by providing EVs on a subscription basis with a host of different benefits.

SWYTCHD provides insurance, service, maintenance, charging refunds, and breakdown support to the subscribers removing the hassle that comes with maintaining any vehicles.

All you have to do is choose which vehicle you want, and we will deliver it to your doorstep. We just need to see your driving licence and Aadhar card. It’s that simple,” says Sameer.

The monthly subscription fee for a two-wheeler starts at Rs 3,999 per month and goes up to Rs 5,500.

For a four-wheeler, the fee starts at Rs 30,000 per month and goes up to Rs 60,000.

“For many, servicing and maintaining a vehicle is a hassle. We call our customers and schedule service. We pick up and drop the vehicle back after it’s done,” he says.

The company also tackled the range anxiety problem by refunding the cost of electricity to the customer based on their usage.

“For example, if a customer is driving 1,000 km and charges their vehicle four times, the approximate electricity cost would be Rs 720,” he says.

SWYTCHD has deployed 130 electric vehicles on the roads of Bengaluru and the founder plans to expand this number to 1,000 in the next 12 months.