Rapido partners with IndoFast Energy to roll out 10k Piaggio e-three wheelers

Rapido is focusing on incorporating swappable electric autos for a significant portion of its daily rides

Ride-hailing platform Rapido on Wednesday said it has partnered with IndoFast Energy to roll out 10,000 units of Piaggio's swappable electric-three wheelers, E-city Max, across the country over the next 24 months.

Starting with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other major cities in southern India, the partnership will add over 1,000 EVs to the country's public transport system by December 2024, the company said in a statement.

"This partnership with IndoFast Energy allows us to significantly enhance our EV offerings on the platform, aligning with our commitment to sustainability," Rapido Co-founder Pavan Guntupalli said.

Rapido along with Indofast Energy is also exploring the introduction of high-speed premium two-wheelers and retrofitted three-wheelers onto its platform to further diversify its eco-friendly ride-hailing offerings, it added.

A provider of battery-as-a-service (BaaS) solutions, IndoFast Energy is a 50-50 joint venture of IOCL and SUN Mobility.

"This joint initiative is a direct result of the success of the pilot we started with Rapido almost a year back. We will now expedite our deployment across India, including in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai, to make this initiative a great success," Indofast Energy CEO Anant Badjatya said.

Piaggio Vehicles Chairman and MD Diego Graffi said the partnership would be a significant contribution to India's EV mission as well as a push for the benefits of swappable battery solution.