Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: E-commerce majors Amazon and Flipkart, and other players, have launched programs in India envisaging cent percent deliveries using electric vehicles.
Currently, Amazon India has a fleet of 6,000 EVs for making deliveries across 400 towns and cities in the country. It will increase the fleet to 10,000 in the next two years, the media reported on Wednesday.
Initially, it introduced Mahindra Zor Grand three-wheeler EVs, equipped with specialized enhancements for Amazon’s last-mile deliveries. The program will help more than 300 delivery service partners (DSPs) to make customer deliveries with zero tailpipe emissions, the company said.
“Amazon’s fleet program is launching for the first time with entirely custom-designed EVs in India, making it convenient for DSPs to access safe, high-quality zero-emission vehicles for last mile deliveries,” Amazon said in a statement.
The all-electric fleet program in India provides DSPs with access to customized EVs suitable for last-mile deliveries, with maintenance, charging, and parking also provided. In the next two years, Amazon would enroll most last-mile delivery vans under the program, eventually including every single last-mile van.
“With support from Mahindra Electric and other vehicle manufacturers, Amazon has deployed over 6,000 EVs to deliver packages in more than 400 cities across India,” it said, adding the company would have 10,000 EVs in India by 2025.
The company expects the program will help it achieve its global goal to reach net-zero carbon by 2040.
“The India fleet launches ahead of the busy Diwali season, and more electric three- and four-wheelers will be added to the fleet over time,” the statement said.
Amazon has already been operating this program in North America and Europe.
“By launching the last-mile fleet program with an all-electric fleet in India, we help our delivery service partners decarbonize with us – and we are delighted that India is the first country where we can do this,” Abhinav Singh, Vice President of Operations, Amazon India, said.
“Transforming a transportation network at this scale and pace requires innovative strategies,” he said.
To transform its network at scale and speed, Amazon partnered with local original equipment manufacturers in India, including small and medium businesses, and start-ups, to create innovative mobility solutions. It worked with Altigreen to custom-build the first 177 cubic feet, 100-kilometer range, three-wheeler EV, which replaced diesel vans, the media reported.
For Amazon, Tata Motors tailored the 210 cubic feet, over-120-kilometre range Tata Ace four-wheeler EVs that operate at significantly lower total cost of ownership compared to traditional diesel vans in the company’s delivery network.
Amazon also helped deploy EVs, charging stations, and financing services with key industry players including Eicher Trucks and Buses, Altigreen, Mahindra Electric, Tata Motors, TVS, Magenta Mobility, Sun Mobility, etc.
The company is committed to decarbonizing trucking in its middle-mile and last-mile operations by piloting scalable carbon reduction technologies. It will also team up with energy infrastructure and financing companies to help create bundled solutions for transporters looking to switch to electric trucks.
Amazon is also a partner of the “Shoonya – Zero-Pollution Mobility” campaign launched by the government in September 2021 to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles for urban deliveries and ride-hailing services.
Besides Amazon, companies like Flipkart, BigBasket, Bisleri, Zomato, Amul, Hindustan Unilever, Swiggy, and Coca-Cola, are also transitioning to EVs.
Amazon’s chief rival Flipkart said it will deploy over 25,000 EVs by 2030, in line with the Walmart-owned firm’s public commitment to transition to EVs across its city logistics fleet. It will also help set up charging infrastructure around delivery hubs and offices to fast-track the adoption of EVs in India.
Flipkart’s electric fleet will include two-, three-, and four-wheelers designed and assembled in India. The Bengaluru-based firm has partnered with leading EV manufacturers, including Hero Electric, Mahindra Electric, and Piaggio, for specific vehicles to be deployed for its first and last-mile delivery fleet across the country.
Flipkart is deploying two- and three-wheeler EVs in multiple locations for delivery across the country and will also place requirements in service contracts, install charging infrastructure close to its 1,400 supply chain facilities, conduct awareness programs, and encourage delivery executives to use EVs.
Food delivery platform Zomato plans to deploy 50,000 EVs in the next two years. For this, it has formed a partnership with EV energy infrastructure and services provider Sun Mobility to power 50,000 two-wheelers.
Electric vehicle battery-swapping solutions provider Gogoro Inc. recently announced a partnership with Swiggy to promote its electric Smartscooters to last-mile delivery partners of the on-demand convenience delivery platform across India. Gogoro and Swiggy will provide a seamless path for riders to adopt sustainable electric transportation and improve their business efficiency.
Ride-hailing platform Uber recently launched Uber Green in India — to allow users to book EV rides — along with multiple new partnerships for financing, access, and charging for a new fleet of electric cars and two-wheelers. As part of the new push for electric mobility, Uber will add 25,000 electric cars to its fleet in the top seven cities by expanding its partnership with EV fleet partners like Lithium, Everest, and Moove.
The firm has also teamed up with Zypp Electric for 10,000 EV two-wheelers in Delhi by 2024. Uber Auto and Uber Moto together account for over 50 percent of its ride bookings in India.