Online food delivery platform Swiggy has partnered with Reliance BP Mobility Limited (RBML) to build an electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem, the Bengaluru-based company said on August 5, a move in keeping with its ambitious plan to switch to EVs and bring down vehicle costs.
The food delivery startup has also partnered with Hero Lectro, an e-cycle manufacturer, and Fast Despatch Logistics, a last-mile delivery player in the UK, to enable end-to-end delivery of orders through cargo e-cycles. EV trials are already in Bengaluru, New Delhi and Hyderabad, the company said in a statement.
Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety said in a statement the company was mindful of the environmental impact of its operations and was taking the necessary steps to make the journey more sustainable. “Transitioning to EVs is an important step in this direction. It will have a positive impact not only on the environment but also empower our delivery partners to earn more,” Majety said.
The firm aims to cover 8 lakh kilometres a day in EVs by 2025 and cut down vehicle running costs by 40 percent. The company wants to switch over to electric vehicles and has been piloting the plan for almost two years now.
Moneycontrol had earlier reported that Swiggy and Zomato are in talks with electric scooter and bike aggregators like Zypp, Spinny and eBikeGo to switch 10 percent of their fleets to electric by 2021.
The move comes amid the government's push for EVs, growth of support infrastructure and the expected cost benefits in the long run.
Swiggy’s EV ambitions
Over the last two years, through pilots, Swiggy has explored various models to determine what would make EV adoption easier and more profitable for its delivery partners, the company said.
Through its agreement with RBML, it will build battery-swapping stations for delivery partners across the country. A single pre-charged batter will will enable to commute 65-80 kilometres. The batter swap will take less than 5 minutes, which the company claims will ensure a shorter waiting time that would result in more deliveries.
Reliance BP Mobility Ltd is a joint venture of Reliance Industries (RIL) and UK’s energy major BP Plc.
Swiggy will also train the delivery partners on using EVs, swapping stations and apps that monitor battery performance, the company said.
Its partnership with Hero Lectro and Fast Despatch Logistics will see it deploy electric cycles for last-mile deliveries. It is being tried in Hyderabad and will be expanded to other metros in the coming months, the company said.
Disclosure: MoneyControl is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
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