Swiggy and Reliance BP Mobility to set up EV battery swapping stations

Online food delivery platform Swiggy has signed an agreement with Reliance BP Mobility (RBML) to build an ecosystem for electric vehicle battery-swapping stations across the country reports ANI.

The partnership aims to synergise their strengths of scale, reach, and technology in creating a greener and cost-effective solution for delivery fleets through innovative business models.

In addition, Swiggy says it has also partnered with Hero Lectro, a leading e-bicycle manufacturer, and Fast Dispatch Logistics, a leading last-mile delivery player in the United Kingdom, to enable end-to-end delivery of Swiggy orders through cargo e-bicycles.

Swiggy is running trials in Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad, which is part of the company’s commitment to cover deliveries spanning 800,000km every day using EVs by 2025. The company expects inducting the green vehicles will bring down vehicle running cost by upto 40 percent, which will lead to higher earnings for its delivery partners.

Sriharsha Majeta, CEO, Swiggy said “As we continue to work towards providing our consumers with greater convenience, we are also mindful of the environmental impact of our operations and are taking the necessary steps to make our journey more sustainable. Transitioning to EVs is an important step in this direction. It will have a positive impact not only on the environment but also empower our delivery partners to earn more.”

Harish C Mehta, CEO, Reliance BP Mobility said the collaboration with Swiggy has the potential to bring disruption and increase EV adoption among delivery and transportation companies in the country. “We are confident Swiggy and their delivery partners will immensely benefit from our widespread network of battery swap stations.”

Partha Choudhary, president and CEO, Hero Lectro Cargo: “Hero Lectro Cargo e-bikes are purpose-built which are economically and ergonomically more viable alternatives for the last-mile delivery and will help leading companies like Swiggy in their mission to make deliveries more sustainable. With the launch of this pilot, we are confident that it will enable greater adoption and use of e-mobility. The concept of cargo e-bikes is only going to be more and more acceptable once the experience spreads since the host of benefits it offers actually comes at zero tradeoff.”

Akhilesh Mishra, Country Head –Operations Fast Despatch Logistics: "Being one of the major last-mile delivery service providers in the UK, we have a dedicated plan to launch our services in India, and the tie-up between Swiggy and Hero Lectro Cargo will also provide an ecosystem for FDL to employ local people from Hyderabad. This will also boost employment at a time of pandemic crisis and provide jobs to the youth. In addition, we are trying to build an effective use case for Hero Lectro Cargo, to establish it as the viable alternative that could compete with the delivery rate of any two-wheeler available in the Indian market and accelerate the growth of acceptance of cargo e-bikes for delivery."