New Mahindra-Uber partnership to boost OEM's EV business

Mahindra & Mahindra today announced a collaboration with shared mobility provider Uber to explore the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) on the Uber platform in many cities across India. This partnership is a shot in the arm for Mahindra Electric and will give a boost to M&M's EV business.  

The two companies plan to initially deploy hundreds of EVs in Delhi and Hyderabad, followed by other Indian cities. Mahindra Electric’s vehicles on the Uber platform will include the e20Plus hatchback and the eVerito sedan.

The first vehicle roll-out under this is expected to be by end of February, 2018 or early March 2018. According to the announcement, Uber utilising the data from its fleet will formulate requirement of charging infrastructure in the cities. Additionally, Mahindra and Uber will consult with all stakeholders (private players, state government, public companies) to facilitate setting up of the charging network. 

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr Pawan Goenka, MD, M&M, said: “Electric vehicle adoption is clearly gaining momentum in India. As the pioneer of EVs in the country, we would like to be in the forefront, leading the charge toward smart and sustainable mobility. Our collaboration with Uber is an important next step to help accelerate the large-scale adoption of EVs on shared mobility platforms and meet the nation’s vision for EVs.”

According to Madhu Kannan, chief business officer, Uber India & Emerging Markets, “We are excited about our collaboration with the Mahindra Group to deploy this EV pilot in India. Aligned with the government’s vision, we aim to build a more sustainable future of mobility, moving more people needing on-demand services with fewer and more efficient vehicle trips. We see a key role for high efficiency vehicle technologies and therefore believe that this collaboration with Mahindra will be truly beneficial not just for Uber but for our driver partners, rides and the cities we operate in.”

With the collaboration with M&M, Uber drivers can, using the Uber app, avail of a package which will include Mahindra EVs at competitive prices, attractive pricing and insurance premium as well as comprehensive maintenance packages from Mahindra and its associate companies. 

Also, in an effort to make the model a sustainable one, M&M and Uber will work closely with public and private players who are in the process of setting up a common use charging ecosystem across multiple locations in different cities in India. 

Importantly, M&M will suppport with driver education and training related to EVs. 

Also read: Mahindra Electric to double EV capacity to 60,000 units, plans battery plant

Anand Mahindra bets on shared mobility platforms for EV market growth