While the Indian government doing its bit towards better EV adoption in the country, it is the private enterprises that are stepping up in a big way in creating a robust EV ecosystem. For instance, food delivery service company Zomato has already committed itself to use EVs alone in its fleet by around 2030. Companies like Jio-bp, which has skin in the game as it built and launched two of India's largest EV charging hubs last year, are also chipping in with a lot. Jio-bp has been tying up with construction firms and EV companies to enhance the battery charging ecosystem in the country by various methods.
And now Jio-bp, a joint venture between RIL and bp, has announced a partnership support to Zomato in its commitment towards 100% EV fleet by 2030. As per the agreement between the two, Jio-bp will provide EV mobility services to Zomato along with access to ‘Jio-bp pulse’ branded battery swapping stations for last mile delivery.
Battery-swapping vital in last-mile delivery
The collaboration is poised to accelerate EV adoption in the rapidly growing Indian delivery and transportation segment. "With high-performance batteries resulting in superior on-road range and with swapping taking just a couple of minutes, battery swapping has become an ideal solution for two and three-wheelers, especially those playing in the last-mile delivery segment. Therefore, battery swapping is set to be the primary driver in electrification of the last mile delivery and passenger segments," Jio-bp said in a statement .
Leveraging the best of RIL and bp’s strengths in electrification, Jio-bp is creating an ecosystem to benefit all the stakeholders in the EV value chain. The JV’s electric mobility business, offering charging infrastructure to Indian consumers, operates under the brand Jio-bp pulse. With the Jio-bp pulse mobile app, customers can easily find nearby charging stations and seamlessly charge their EVs. In addition to marketing conventional fuels, Jio-bp provides EV charging points, and Battery Swapping Stations (BSS).
Jio-bp has already tied up with MG Motor India and Castrol India to explore mobility solutions for electric cars. Under the partnership, Jio-bp, MG Motor and Castrol will explore setting up four-wheeler EV charging infrastructure and expand Castrol’s existing auto service network to cater to EV Customers in inter-city and intra-city travel. Jio-bp has also worked out an understanding with TVS Motors to create robust public EV charging infrastructure for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers.
