Successful startup 'Crack Platoon' in charging station initiative

The use of electric vehicles is increasing rapidly in the developed countries of the world. Compared to that, the demand for electric vehicles in the country is increasing slowly. Industry stakeholders say that high prices and lack of charging infrastructure are the major reasons for the low interest of buyers in electric vehicles in the country. A startup company has started working in this sector to exploit the creation of electric vehicle charging facilities as a big business opportunity.

Talking to the electric car dealers, it is known that the startup company called Crack Platoon Charging Solutions Limited is working on setting up charging stations based on the needs of the dealers. Currently, the company along with Rancon Motors, DHS Motors and Rancon British Motors has launched a total of 30 electric vehicle charging stations at 17 locations in the country. These stations have the facility to charge 50 cars simultaneously. These charging stations have been set up in Dhaka, Comilla, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Rajshahi, Bogra and other big cities. Apart from this, the company has launched charging stations in several important highways of the country. The company has already invested several crores of rupees to build these charging infrastructures. Crack Platoon has signed an agreement with Rancon Motors, DHS Motors and Rancon British Motors to set up around 200 charging stations across the country by 2027.

It is known that the first electric charging station (EV charging) was installed in the country in August 2023. Progress Motor Imports Limited with the support of Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) launched the first electric charging station at Tejgaon in the capital.

Starting at University

The startup company Crack Platoon officially started its journey in 2022. But that's even before the story begins. In 2015, a group of young students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) formed the automobile team 'Team Crack Platoon' as part of co-curricular activities. There were four young people in this group, Farhan Khalil, Md. Tanvir Shahriar, Md. Musa Mahmud Rana and Abu Mushaib Khan. Later, these four young people formed the crack platoon. In 2017, the team participated in 'Formula Student Japan', a competition for students to build Formula cars in Japan. They were the first team from Bangladesh to participate in this competition. In 2019, the team once again competed in the Formula Student Japan competition. There, the team received special awards for local technology and innovation. After the university life, most of the team members started working in different organizations.

However, Farhan Khalil, Tanveer Shahriar, Musa Mahmud Khan and Abu Musaib Khan built startup companies along with their jobs. Named Crack Platoon Charging Solution. In 2022, they researched the development of apps and hardware for charging stations. Then they got an investment of 10 lakh taka from the government fund called Startup Bangladesh to implement this idea. After that he officially registered the company. They quit their jobs in 2022 and focused on business. In the beginning, Md. Tanveer Shahriar's home in Mohammadpur was the office of the company. In 2023, the startup received an angel investment of 30 lakh rupees. Besides, they themselves invested 50 lakhs. Much of the investment is spent on developing proprietary cloud management software and apps. Through this app, you can see when and where the charging station is empty. The name of this app is 'Charge Easy'. The app has a digital wallet, where you can recharge with Bkash, cash or card. Apart from this, the app also has smart navigation, pre-booking facilities.

The founders of the company said that the operating expenses are being raised with the income of the company so far. 23 people have been employed in the company. The founders of the startup said that due to the low number of electric cars in the country, the company is taking some extra time to return to profitability. As the number of electric cars increases, so will the company's revenue. The startup hopes to turn a profit this year.

Talking to the people related to the sector, it is known that the total number of fully electric vehicles in the country is about 1000. And there are more than two thousand vehicles that have both electric and fuel-powered facilities. Currently 8 to 10 companies are involved in the electric vehicle business in the country.

In 2023, a total of five charging stations were set up at Narayanganj, Bhaluka, Comilla and Dhaka for PDB, Palli Vidyut and DESCO through government tenders. Then in 2024, an agreement was signed with Rancon Motors, the distributor of Mercedes-Benz, to set up charging stations in the country.

Director of business development of crack platoon. Musa Mahmud Rana said, about 54 percent of the petroleum imported in the country is used in the automobile sector. Conventional engine efficiency is only 30-35 percent. In contrast, electric vehicle engine efficiency is 80 to 92 percent. Where fuel-powered cars cost 8 to 10 rupees per kilometer, electric cars cost 2 rupees.

The founders of the company said that anyone who wants to install charging stations at home and commercially. The cost of setting up a charging station at home is 1 to 3 lakh taka. And the cost of setting up a commercial charging station is 40 to 80 lakhs.

Managing Director of Crack Platoon. Tanveer Shahriar said, currently charging stations have been installed in several hotels and elite areas including Hotel Radisson Blu, Dusai Resort and Spa, The Palace Luxury Resort and Mercedes Benz in joint investment. Apart from this, according to the agreement, Rancon Motors, DHS Motors and Rancon British Motors plan to set up 200 charging stations across the country by 2027.