Greaves Electric Mobility Designing India’s Electric Future | Shashwath Bolar

What does “Designed in India” really mean for mobility today?

In this interaction, Shashwath Bolar breaks down the ideas behind Ampere’s design language, from proportions and surfaces to CMF and ergonomics, and how these decisions translate into real products like the Ampere Nexus.

About Shashwath: 

1.       Can you share your journey into design and what led you to automotive and mobility?

SB: Right from childhood, I was very fascinated with art, sculpture and machines. My mother was an art historian, and her department had a museum of history & archaeology. My mechanical engineer & industrialist father taught me to build my own toys. Cut to mechanical engineering 3rd year, I discovered field of Automotive Design, thanks to Google. After a few mail exchanges with top universities abroad, I realized that I needed a design portfolio and some design experience to even be considered for an application. So, despite having a stable engineering job, I chose to step away after a year and pursue a design internship to transition more intentionally into the field I was truly passionate about. That pivotal decision helped me build my design portfolio and I learnt a great deal about automotive design and design in general field from designers who came from diverse design backgrounds and a wide variety of Indian, American and British D-Schools. This experience helped me crack the MA Automotive Design course at Coventry University, UK.

2.       What experiences or projects have shaped your design perspective the most?

SB: The following three experiences shaped my design perspective in a big way:

1. Coventry University, UK: Studying in the UK, learning from my very experienced faculty, industry interaction from many internationally respected brands known for their design excellence and most importantly from the very talented peers who came from countries from around the world. Even visiting various design shows in the UK, museums and design fairs were very enriching.

2. International Work Assignments: Work assignments in Austria, UK & Japan . It exposed me to one of the most talented international designers in the industry, design process and helped me build an ability to communicate with global teams.

3. Building Greaves Design Studio: After working for large OEMs, working at a super-fast paced EV Startup was a great challenge. Working under our dynamic COO – Mr. Ram Rajappa and building an agile design studio from grounds up with high performance and capable team of designers has really pushed my personal boundaries.

3.       How would you describe your personal design philosophy today?

           SB: For decades, my life’s mantra has been “To improve lives of millions through Design, Inspiration & Art” and that has shaped my design philosophy. I am deeply inspired by the Indian design stories seen in Art, sculpture, temple architecture and Indian knowledge systems. My design approach would be conscious, holistic and intuitive.

4.       What does a typical day look like for you at Greaves Design Studio?

SB: It’s a high energy, fast paced and dynamic working style at Greaves Design Studio. It’s mix of strategy and management meetings, to working closely with various design studio members like creative designers, digital modellers, clay modellers, designers, cross-functional teams and suppliers. A key part of our approach at Greaves is to create designs that feel modern and progressive, while still remaining familiar, intuitive, and relevant to the everyday customer. Vehicle testing and occasional trips to dealers, prospective customers and suppliers across India keeps me closely connected to real-world insights.. Finally, pitching ideas and concepts to our management teams and understanding various perspectives helps us in refining our products, experiences and services. 

5.       What advice would you give to young designers aiming to enter the mobility space?

SB: Once you’re in a design school, take your time to understand yourself by reflection and choose a niche skill / industry. Once you have done that, take a “T - approach to learning”. Cover your ground in the various aspects of design – Sketching, branding, creativity, field research, modelling, prototyping, CMF, presentation, UI/UX, etc and narrow your focus on getting great at your chosen niche. Once you spend a considerable amount of time with this approach, you would slowly notice that you get very good at your chosen direction and that would help you in building a better and focussed portfolio. That in turn, increase your chances of getting internships in your chosen path. You also need to also evaluate the number of companies / design studios in your chosen area. For example, car design exteriors would be quite a hard job to get as opposed to getting an automotive UI/UX designer’s job. A great hack would be to apply for student design awards, since it keeps you motivated, helps you hone your skills, builds content for your portfolio and great for your personal brand. 

Design philosophy and projects at Greeves:

6.       What are the core design philosophy and principles that guide the Ampere Design Language ?

SB : As India embarks its journey from becoming one of the top economies of the world, we need to tell design stories inspired from India’s rich contribution to the field of art, sculpture, temple architecture, jewellery design, and crafts. 

We have been among the early proponents of the “Designed in India” narrative, bringing these influences into our vehicles, whether for Ampere 2Ws or Greaves 3Ws. Our approach is “Indian at essence and global in spirit.” India is home to one of the youngest populations in the world, and this audience is increasingly aspirational, design-conscious, and tech-savvy. We want to offer these customers world-class products shaped by authentic “Designed in India” stories.

We have a PSD (Proportions, Surface & Details) to vehicle design. We start with “Distinctive Proportions” which focuses on overall package, stance and a “Namaste Gesture in front, followed by “Sensual Surfaces” inspired by the stunning Apsara Sculptures and “Sharp Technical Details” inspired by Diamond facets. We used this design approach on the Ampere Nexus and we found that the word “Design” was used the most when Nexus customers were interviewed. The Ampere Nexus has won the “India Design Mark” award, EV Scooter of the Year and has several national records to its credit.

Riding a typical scooter for longer durations can cause back aches and we took care of this aspect by designing the riding triangle in a way that creates a comfortable and ergonomic riding position. That coupled with dual rear suspension and a sporty stance makes it one of the best scooters of riding ease and comfort.

7.       What was the original brief and problem statement behind the Ampere Nexus?

SB: What if a premium sports car designs a Family EV Scooter? The brief was very sharp and distinctive, and we wanted to create a premium, sporty, and high-performance high-speed scooter and stand out in the crowd of simple, static & bulky looking EV Scooters. Our ambition was to ensure that customers did not have to choose between performance, aesthetics, and family-friendly everyday usability. Instead, we set out to create an electric scooter that brings together all three — delivering excitement, strong visual appeal, and practical comfort for daily life.

8.       How did you approach the design of the Ampere Magnus and Magnus Grand?

SB: Ampere Magnus is a legacy product that has been well received in the Indian market, with its familiar design continuing to resonate strongly with customers and drive volumes. We wanted to bring in our modern design language and make it premium. In the front, we brought in Distinctive proportions with “Namaste Curves” formed by sensual surfaces and Sharp LED indicators inspired by diamond facets. We brought in a sculpted, ergonomic seat and grab handle. 

For the Magnus Grand variant, we wanted to bring in premium-ness through CMFG (Color, Material, Finish & Graphics). We developed a range of dual-tone color schemes inspired by sophisticated, elegant, and contemporary trends. Metallic accents in copper and light gold, along with subtle intricate patterns, added a premium touch. We also introduced high-quality mocha brown plastics, espresso-colored seats, and a distinct metallic badge to clearly differentiate it from the Magnus Neo. The strong response from customers across India has been very encouraging and reflects the model’s grand success.

9.       The Xpress scooter presents a slightly different visual language - what drove the thinking behind its form and architecture? 

SB: The Ampere Xpress’s design represents the latest evolution of the design language for the Ampere brand. Its more expressive and represents the values of having distinctive proportions, sensual surfaces, and sharp technical details. The product was conceived as a solution for the modern-day gig worker, who often relies on the same vehicle for dual purposes — work as well as personal and family use. This meant the design had to feel flexible, durable, and premium at the same time. We envisioned it almost like a premium tech gadget — something that equips the gig worker for everyday demands while also creating a sense of personal pride. From a fleet perspective as well, the vehicle is designed to support multiple applications on a single platform, making it relevant for large fleet operators while still keeping the needs, aspirations, and day-to-day realities of gig workers at the center.

The Ampere Xpress won the Gold at the Economic Times Design & Creativity Awrads and the Top 100 in CII Design Excellence Award. 

10. How does Greaves balance practical engineering constraints with design ambition when developing new mobility products?

SB: The answer lies in finding the sweet spot, which offers customers world class products with premium design and ergonomics, yet affordable. Under the leadership of our dynamic COO, Mr. Ram Rajappa, we have an amazingly fast paced, holistic and conscious process within the Greaves Tech Center. We work seamlessly with various departments like engineering, electrical, electronics, sourcing, and testing teams. With continuous iterations and various digital and physical prototypes, we arrive at the final design.   

11. What roles do materials, CMF, and touchpoints play in shaping the user experience of Greaves vehicles?

SB: CMF Design is the secret sauce which can position any consumer facing product in a strategic way. It can also help the brands tell brilliant design stories from a look, touch and feel experience. At Greaves Design Studio, CMF Design plays a very vital role in the vehicle design process. We start with benchmarking, trend research, and development right at the beginning of any project and that gives us time to mature it and align with sourcing, suppliers, marketing, sales, and leadership. The Magnus Grand is a notable example of adding premium value through CMF and Graphics and we have seen Grand success derived from our unique CMF Design approach. 

We believe in a holistic approach to Phygital design experience and the same family of design stories, colours, and graphics influence both physical design as well as digital UI on Instrument clusters and mobile apps. 

12. How do you see electric mobility design in India evolving over the next decade?

SB: In the coming decade, the 2W and 3W electric mobility will easily be in the majority in Indian mobility sales. A young India with an average age of 28.8 years aspires premium design, technologically advanced features and better comfort and ergonomics. With a fast-growing economy, large young and techy population along with strong R&Ds of legacy players and well-funded startups, I would expect India to produce the most aspiring designs, highly dependable and technologically advanced features. Just like the mobile revolution, Indian customers would be spoilt for choices when it comes to mobility products and services, ranging from basic and dependable, lifestyle oriented to highly aspirational.

This would also put India in a unique and electrifying position to export electric mobility and related products / services / experiences to the rest of the world.