iCreate Unveils EVangelise ’23, India’s Largest EV Innovation Challenge, Introducing New Vehicle Categories in its Third Edition
iCreate launched EVangelise ’23, the third edition of its national EV innovation challenge, to identify and support innovators and startups developing technologies for India’s electric mobility ecosystem.
The launch took place in the presence of Shri Jagdish Vishwakarma, Hon’ble Minister of State, Government of Gujarat. Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel also shared a message highlighting the importance of advanced EV technologies and breakthrough innovation.
EVangelise ’23 aimed to bring together innovators and startups from across India. The third edition expanded the challenge to cover a wider range of vehicle categories, including heavy electric vehicles, earthmovers and mining trucks.
Expanding the Scope of EV Innovation
EVangelise ’23 expanded its focus to support innovations across a wider range of electric mobility applications.
Vehicle categories covered:
2-wheelers
3-wheelers
4-wheelers
Multi-wheelers
Earthmovers
Heavy vehicles
Zero Emission Trucks (ZET)
Two Categories for Innovators and Startups
EVangelise ’23 introduced two categories based on the stage of technology development.
Idea Stage: For startups with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 or below. Participants could present their concepts and explore opportunities for strategic partnerships with industry.
Scale-up Stage: For startups with a TRL of 5 or above. Selected startups could connect with venture capital firms and explore funding opportunities to support their growth.
Four Key Themes
EVangelise ’23 focused on four key technology themes:
Traction
Energy
Telematics
Intelligence and Connectivity
The challenge was open to individual innovators, startups, researchers and academicians working on solutions across these areas.
Building Stronger Industry Partnerships
iCreate planned roadshows across universities, colleges and incubators to identify promising innovators and startups.
The initiative also aimed to connect selected innovators with leading industry players. These interactions were designed to help innovators understand industry requirements and explore opportunities for technology partnerships and commercialisation.
For EVangelise ’23, iCreate partnered with organisations including TEXMiN Foundation, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and the Łukasiewicz Research Network in Poland, along with other scientific research organisations in India.
These partnerships focused on advancing EV subsystems and creating opportunities for technology collaboration.
Introducing the RISC-V Challenge
As part of EVangelise ’23, iCreate also announced the RISC-V Challenge, a hardware development contest for startups, businesses, students and technology enthusiasts.
The challenge encouraged participants to build applications based on the open-source RISC-V architecture and explore technology use cases for India-specific challenges in the EV sector.
Up to 10 winners were eligible to receive a cash prize of INR 1 lakh each.
Supporting EV Innovation
Cash prizes: INR 56 lakh in total
Incubation support: Up to INR 50 lakh for selected candidates
Categories: Idea Stage and Scale-up Stage
Vehicle segments: 2, 3 and 4-wheelers, multi-wheelers, earthmovers, heavy vehicles and Zero Emission Trucks
Themes: Traction, Energy, Telematics, Intelligence and Connectivity
Eligibility: Individual innovators, startups, researchers and academicians
RISC-V Challenge: Up to 10 winners with INR 1 lakh each
Grand Finale: December 2023
Building on EVangelise ’21 and ’22
The first two editions of EVangelise received participation from more than 2,000 applicants across 183 cities and towns in India.
The programmes supported 40 finalists through financial support, incubation grants, expert mentoring, rapid prototyping, testing facilities and industry connections.
With iCreate’s support, more than 28 prototypes were developed and 10 manufacturing collaborations were initiated.
Towards a Global EV Innovation Ecosystem
EVangelise ’23 built on the momentum of the first two editions by expanding its vehicle categories, strengthening industry partnerships and creating more opportunities for innovators.
Through the challenge, iCreate aimed to support the development of energy-efficient and sustainable mobility solutions and contribute to India’s growing EV technology ecosystem.
EVangelise ’23 brought innovators, startups, industry and research organisations together to build solutions for the future of electric mobility.
