Flipkart partners with Mahindra Logistics to accelerate deployment of EVs

India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart, on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, announced that it has partnered with Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL) as one of its key logistics partners to help fast track deployment of electric vehicles across its logistics fleet in the country.

Flipkart has committed to 100 per cent electric mobility in its logistics fleet and will deploy more than 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. Mahindra Logistics will play a significant role in working with various OEMs and help Flipkart's sustainable transition to EVs.

Mahindra Logistics in a regulatory filing at BSE said, "Flipkart partners with EDEL by Mahindra Logistics to accelerate deployment of electric vehicles (EV) in its last-mile delivery."

Mahindra Logistics - with a shared commitment and vision towards sustainable business practices - has already launched EDEL, its own electric delivery brand in late 2020. EDEL has partnered with companies in consumer & e-commerce to provide sustainable last-mile delivery across six cities in India.

Mahindra through EDEL will enable Flipkart in its journey towards building a green supply chain by not only deploying a large fleet of EVs but also creating a conducive environment for EV deployment and operations across the country.

This includes building supporting infrastructure and technology such as charging stations and parking lots, training workforce, route planning and even battery swapping stations soon. Another key focus area will be technology and control tower operations to enable greater efficiency and cost competitiveness.

Flipkart has already partnered with many OEMs. It has also introduced two and three-wheeled electric vehicles in its supply chain. The company's partnership with Mahindra Logistics, EDEL will further propel this momentum and help in deployment at a National scale, further enhanced by infrastructure and technology support that spans charging, tracking, asset, safety, and cost.

Mahindra Logistics will - under its electric delivery brand EDEL - be procuring different types and classes of electric vehicles from OEMs as it establishes a pan-India EV presence. EDEL already operates a large fleet of EVs, and now aims to scale up the same significantly to support Flipkart's objectives in the coming months. EDEL's robust multi-city presence across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, with a plan to cover the top 20 cities by year-end, will help facilitate a seamless and phased transition to EVs for Flipkart's pan-India supply chain.

Flipkart has recently announced its partnership with leading electric vehicle manufacturers, including Hero Electric, Mahindra Electric and Piaggio, to deploy EVs in its logistics fleet across the country. In line with its sustainability vision, the company has also been working closely with several ecosystem partners on many aspects of electric mobility, including vehicle design, range, load capacity, etc., to build customised vehicles that are best suited for the e-commerce industry.