Mahindra Last Mile Mobility (LMM), a division of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group, has set up several charging stations near autorickshaw stands, auto driver home clusters and junctions. LMM has done this through strategic charging vendors. The division has done so to boost EV penetration in Mumbai and its suburbs.

Chargers have also been installed at Mahindra outlets and Mahindra Mitra Technician spots wherein customers can charge their three-wheelers. The charging points have been positioned in strategic locations like Malad, Kandivali, Mira Road, Navi Mumbai, Vasai, Virar, Andheri and so on. This is an ongoing process and the Mahindra team, along with key stakeholders, has identified additional charging spots in and around Mumbai and with due approvals, will commence work. The auto driver partners, too, have been notified of these additional charging points.

In addition to this, more than 60 mechanics have been trained by LMM’s service personnel to handle Mahindra three-wheeler EVs.

Six robust DC fast EV charging stations have been installed at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). They are available for service as Public Charging Stations (PCS) for passengers as well as guests visiting the airport. 

The EV station at Terminal 1 is at P1 - Multi-level Car Parking (MLCP). At Terminal 2, it is at P5 – MLCP. There is another station at the Airside of Terminal 2 as well. The owners of private EVs and commuters who will avail of the charging stations at MLCP in either terminals will be billed only for the charging sessions. They will be given a deduction against the parking fees.  

Adhering to all the requirements, policies and protocols outlined by the regulators, the charging stations at either terminal of CSMIA are of the CCS Type II Dual Gun 60 kW and GB/T (DC 001) Dual Gun 40 kW Charger type and compatible with all the prevailing EV cars in the country. There would be augmentation of 60 kW and 240 kW capacity EV chargers to cater to the needs of Airside logistics.  

CSMIA runs on 100 percent renewable energy with its onsite solar power plant, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) and procures green power. For EV charging, the airport will source 100 percent green power, according to sources in the know of the development.

BluSmart, a leading electric vehicle cab service and EV charging infrastructure network company, has raised $24 million (INR 2 billion) in pre-Series B funding round.

The company saw investment from responsAbility Investments (a leading impact asset manager); Sumant Sinha (a leading player in the Renewable Energy sector); MS Dhoni Family Office (former Indian cricket team captain); existing investors and BluSmart founders. 

The funding the company says will be deployed to expand its operations in India, as well as grow its EV charging infrastructure and assets.

Interestingly, the company claims it has grown its fleet of 70 electric vehicles in January 2019 to 7,500 EVs plying across Delhi NCR and Bengaluru. Its EVs have clocked over half a billion (500+ million) electric kms and delivered over 16 million electric trips saving nearly 40 million kgs of CO2 emissions since launch. The company has over 9,800 driver partners and also operates one of the largest EV charging infrastructure with 50 EV Charging Hubs spread across 2 million sqft. 

BluSmart states it recently crossed INR 5.5 billion ARR ($65 million Annual Revenue Run-rate).

Punit Goyal, Co-Founder, BluSmart said, “BluSmart is building an integrated energy-infrastructure, mobility and technology company to take the full advantage of the EV revolution. Our latest fundraise of $24 million is an important step in our journey to scale the e-mobility fleet and EV Charging Infrastructure.”

Sameer Tirkar, Head of Climate Infrastructure Investments APAC at responsAbility Investments AG said, “We are happy to continue our partnership with BluSmart through our second round of funding. BluSmart has been able to lead the way in building from the grounds up an entire EV ecosystem to disrupt the conventional modes of commute without compromising on reliability and convenience. We believe in their vision and capabilities in creating positive environmental and social impact by reducing carbon emissions in urban transportation.”

Sumant Sinha said, “The future of mobility is electric, and e-mobility is a crucial step in making the shift to cleaner, emissions-free transportation. India’s growing economy and favourable policies provide ample impetus to this transition. I am excited to partner with BluSmart in their growth journey.”

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Electric vehicle company Euler Motors has partnered with LetsTransport, a Bengaluru-based urban logistics aggregator to deploy 1,000 HiLoad EVs in the three-wheeler commercial segment. 

According to a press release, both companies will collaborate to deploy these EVs in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and cover other cities across India over the next 12 months. With deployment of HiLoad vehicles, LetsTransport will bring EVs in their portfolio and strengthen its on-time delivery commitment with last-mile efficiencies, it said. 

The partnership will help Euler Motors increase its foothold in the EV market, and expand its customer base with retailers, 3PL logistics and fleet owners. Euler Motors will oversee deployment of these vehicles via its full stack ecosystem of charging infrastructure and service support, while LetsTransport will enable customer mobilisation and retail deliveries, the release said. 

The company claimed that HiLoad has load capacity of 688 kg, on road range of more than 151 km and a 12.4 KwH liquid cooled battery. 

Saurav Kumar, Founder and CEO, Euler Motors, said, “Our partnership with LetsTransport is yet another successful milestone in the pursuit to bring a real change in EV adoption and aggressively expand our customer footprint in India. HiLoad’s unique value proposition, coupled with LetsTransport’s strong industry presence and in-depth logistics expertise make this partnership a win. I am thankful to Pushkar’s team for their confidence in Euler Motors. Together, we intend to make our EVs more accessible in India, increase deployments and drive segment growth.” 

Pushkar Singh, Founder & CEO, LetsTransport, said, “Intra City logistics is already on a transformation, with electric vehicles as their future. LetsTransport has been founded on a vision to build cleaner and sustainable logistics solutions with an emphasis to strengthen this ecosystem. Euler Motors’ ambition, along with their industry leading EV technology in their HiLoad EV, makes them the right partner for this. Their product and supportive solutions make us confident about the business impact for our customers, as well as to the larger society. We are excited about working with Saurav and his team, and will place 300 EVs in 2022, and plan to deploy 3000 EVs by end of 2025.” 

Euler Motors has already commenced deliveries for LetsTransport, where the first batch of vehicles is operational in NCR. Euler Motors said it has an order book surpassing 9,000 units, with retail and institutional deliveries happening across India. The company plans to deploy around 8,000 HiLoad EVs in the current financial year. (MT)