Exponent’s rapid-charging reality, Gaurav Munjal’s latest pivot

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Editor's note: On Monday, Bengaluru-based electric vehicle manufacturer Altigreen publicly launched a three-wheeler goods carrier that can charge from 0% to 100% in 15 minutes flat. It calls this the fastest-charging EV in the world—a fact that probably hasn’t received the attention it merits. A little over a year ago, we had written about Exponent Energy, the fast-charging-tech startup that is now powering Altigreen’s latest commercial EV. Founded in 2020 by former Ather chief product officer Arun Vinayak and Sanjay Byalal, another former Ather executive, the company made a pitch that seemed outlandish.  Using battery packs with its custom battery management system integrated, and its own fast-charging stations, the founders said it would be able to charge batteries of any size completely in 15 minutes, with no unreasonable cell degradation and in hot Indian conditions. This week, Exponent—along with Altigreen, its first EV manufacturer partner—demonstrated that to the public in a production-ready vehicle that’s already being rolled out to initial customers. At a newly inaugurated Altigreen dealership in north Bengaluru, the company showed a three-wheeler starting from a charge level of 6% …