Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., part of the US$ 20.7 billion Mahindra Group, on Thursday announced the deployment of its Electric Vehicles (EVs) on Uber, the world’s largest on-demand ride-sharing company, to provide Zero Emission mobility in Hyderabad.
On the occasion, the company formally flagged off a mix of Mahindra EVs in Hyderabad.
Earlier, Mahindra had announced its strategic collaboration with Uber, to explore the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) on its platform in several cities across India.To begin with, the companies will deploy 50 Mahindra EVs in Hyderabad and scale up over a period of time.
Mahindra’s electric vehicles on the Uber platform will include the e2oPlus hatch and the eVerito sedan. To make this model sustainable, Mahindra has worked closely with public and private players who have initially set-up over 30 common use charging points across multiple locations in this rapidly developing city.
Speaking at the flag off in Hyderabad, Mahesh Babu, CEO – Mahindra Electric said,“As the pioneers of electric mobility in India we have always been at the forefront of smart and sustainable mobility. Our collaboration with Uber is aimed at accelerating the large scale adoption of electric vehicles on shared mobility platforms, thereby driving a positive change in daily commute.
Today while thanking the Telangana Government for its support, we are excited to embark on this journey to make shared EV commute eco-friendly and transform the way people in Hyderabad commute. Going forward we plan to further deploy our vehicles across multiple cities on the Uber platform.”
Deepankar Tiwari, Head, Vehicle Solutions, Uber, Asia Pacific, said, “Uber is committed towards adoption of cleaner and environmentally friendly technologies to power urban mobility and our partnership with Mahindra and Mahindra is a step in that direction. We are excited about the tremendous potential of electric vehicles in India and are committed to supporting the government’s vision of building a viable infrastructure to accelerate the speedy induction of even more EV’s.’’
These vehicles will be deployed through partners such as A to Z universal solutions (eee- Taxi) and others to begin with in Hyderabad. This will make it easier to adopt electric mobility and enable the cities to be more environment friendly.
As part of this collaboration, both companies will also explore the deployment of Mahindra electric vehicles in other cities. The joint deployment of electric vehicles will further reinforce the strong relationship between Mahindra and Uber.
Through this collaboration with Mahindra, driver partners on the Uber app can avail of a package which will include Mahindra electric vehicles at competitive prices, attractive financing and insurance premiums as well as comprehensive maintenance packages from Mahindra and its associates.
Mahindra will also support this initiative with driver education and training related to various aspects of electric vehicles. Going forward, electric vehicles will play a major role in reducing urban pollution plaguing several Indian cities and resulting in a green and clean environment. With the increased penetration of EVs and eventual 100% transition, the country and its citizens stand to benefit tremendously.
All these initiatives align perfectly with Mahindra’s Rise philosophy of empowering people with the right products and services to enhance the quality of their lives and livelihood.