Flipkart, Mahindra partner to rev up use of EVs in last mile delivery

Mumbai: Walmart-owned Flipkart has partnered with Mahindra Logistics to accelerate use of electric vehicles in last mile delivery and will deploy over 25,000 EVs in the fleet by 2030, according to a regulatory filing.

The Mahindra Group's logistics arm has already launched an electric last mile delivery service - EDEL - in six cities and has partnered with companies in consumer and e-commerce space to provide such services. Mahindra Logistics will play a significant role in working with various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and help Flipkart's sustainable transition to EVs, as per the filing. Flipkart has already partnered with many OEMs and introduced two and three-wheeler 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, it said. 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, according to the filing.

"Our focus is on expanding our network based on our deep partnership with large enterprise customers," said Rampraveen Swaminathan, CEO and MD, Mahindra Logistics. Mahindra Logistics through EDEL will enable Flipkart in its journey towards building a green supply chain by building supporting infrastructure and technology such as charging stations and parking lots, training workforce, route planning and battery swapping stations in the near future, it said. Another key focus area will be technology and control tower operations to enable greater efficiency and cost competitiveness, said the filing.

"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," said Hemant Badri, SVP Supply Chain, Flipkart Group. Through collective efforts, Flipkart aims to build and support solutions that boost EV adoption across the country and gradually make a 100 per cent transition to EVs in our logistics fleet, he added. 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.