Sources have stated that one of the few manufacturers of electric vehicles in India, Mahindra Electric is targeting a 2-3 times growth in 2017 and is knocking on startups' doors to achieve the same. The hybrid vehicle maker launched four variants in 2016 e2o plus, eVerito, eSupro Van in cargo and passenger version -and is looking to flood the market with hybrid models this year.
It was stated that BigBasket has been using about 10 Mahindra eSupro vans for its intercity last-mile delivery in Noida and looks to increase the number to 50 over the next 3-6 months. The company has been testing pilots with Bengaluru-based corporate transport service startup Lithium Urban Technologies and online grocery firm BigBasket for some of its Delhi operations.
ET had reported earlier that Lithium Urban Technologies, which currently offers employee transportation services to firms in Bengaluru such as Tesco, Unisys, Accenture and Adobe, is looking to quadruple its existing fleet of 250 electric vehicles to 1,000 in two years.
Mahindra Electric is also in talks with aggregators like Ola, Zoomcars, Myles and others to begin pilots in accordance with the government's mission for large-scale adoption of clean energy-driven mobility. Pranay Jivrajka, Founding Partner of Ola Cabs had said "Creating smart, sustainable and eco-friendly transportation solutions, like shared mobility and electric vehicles, have become more important than ever. We are honored to partner with the government in its mission to promote sustainable mobility with categories like 'Ola Share' and 'E-rickshaws' on our platform".
