E-commerce major, Flipkart has announced that it has partnered with Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL), to help fast-track deployment of electric vehicles across its logistics fleet in the country.
In the past, Flipkart had dedicated to 100 percent electric mobility in its logistics fleet and said it will position more than 25,000 electric vehicles by 2030.
Towards the end of 2020, Mahindra Logistics had launched its own electric delivery brand EDEL, partnering with companies in the consumer and e-commerce segment to deliver sustainable last-mile delivery across six cities in India
Through the association with Flipkart, Mahindra Logistics will also look at generating a conducive environment for EV deployment and operations across the country. This comprises building supporting infrastructure and technology such as charging stations and parking lots, training workforce, route planning, and even battery swapping stations in the near future.
Hemant Badri, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Flipkart Group stated “Electrification of the logistics fleet is an important part of Flipkart’s larger sustainability goal and a key focus area for the company. We are happy to have Mahindra Logistics on board as a logistics partner, who will play a major role in helping us achieve our vision of making our logistics fleet fully electric by 2030."
EDEL, which at present operates in key metro cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, will scale its operations to cover 20 cities by year-end while enabling Flipkart’s transition towards EVs.
Rampraveen Swaminathan, Chief Executive, and Managing Director, MLL said “The EV-based last-mile delivery service EDEL provides customers with a sustainable, cost-competitive and technology-enabled last-mile delivery solution. Our focus is on expanding our network based on our deep partnership with large enterprise customers. We are pleased about this engagement with Flipkart and look forward to partnering with them.”