EKA Mobility Rolls Out Its 1,000th Small Commercial Electric Vehicle from Pune

EKA Mobility, an Indian electric commercial vehicle manufacturer backed by Dutch conglomerate VDL Groep and Japan's Mitsui & Co., has rolled out its 1,000th small commercial vehicle (SCV) from its manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune , a milestone the company says reflects growing domestic demand for zero-emission urban logistics.

The event, held on World Environment Day, saw the company formally hand over the 1,000th unit , an EKA 6S electric passenger three-wheeler , to the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust, a Pune-based charitable institution. The vehicle, designed to carry a driver and six passengers, is described by the company as India's first steering-wheel passenger electric three-wheeler in that seating configuration.

In a parallel handover, EKA presented an EKA 3S electric three-wheeler to Marisa Gerards, the Netherlands' Ambassador to India. The gesture carries symbolic weight given VDL Groep's Dutch origins and the two countries' stated alignment on sustainable transport policy.

The Chakan plant serves as EKA's dedicated hub for SCV and truck manufacturing. The company also operates a bus manufacturing facility in Koregaon Bhima, Pune, and is developing a 47-acre plant in Pithampur. Once fully operational, its combined facilities are projected to support annual output of 15,000 buses, 24,000 SCVs, and 4,000 trucks. The plant currently employs over 1,000 people and houses an in-house R&D centre with more than 400 engineers and designers.

EKA is a designated Champion OEM under the Indian government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the automotive sector and counts NIIF India-Japan Fund and Enam Holdings among its investors. The company's all-women assembly line , part of its EvolutioNARI initiative , operates within the Chakan plant for SCV production.

The broader context for the milestone is a period of accelerating adoption of electric commercial vehicles in India, particularly in e-commerce, FMCG distribution, and last-mile logistics segments. EKA's product portfolio spans three-wheelers, small commercial vehicles, buses, and trucks , all engineered and manufactured domestically.