Mahindra Electric and SmartE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive electric mobility forward in India.
Under the MoU,SmartE will introduce the first 1,000 Mahindra Treo and Treo Yaari electric three wheelers in Delhi-NCR by March 2019.
The company also plans to deploy a total of 10,000 Mahindra electric three-wheelers across the country by 2020.
The MoU was signed by Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric & Goldie Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, SmartE, in New Delhi.
The two leading companies in the electric mobility market have come together, to offer convenient, affordable and zero-emission last-mile connectivity, not just for the NCR region but also for major cities around the country.
The partnership is an example of collaboration between companies to address India’s growing need for clean, shared and public mobility solutions, and it aims to rapidly transform the overall EV adoption rate in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, said: “As the pioneers of electric mobility, we are happy to join forces with SmartE to accelerate the adoption of electric mobility. India is witnessing rapid urbanization and metros are driving the multi-modal mobility needs of the large working population in urban cities. Our Treo range of three wheelers will address the demand for first and last mile connectivity and transform the way urban India travels. Associations with partners such as SmartE will make it easier to adopt electric mobility and enable our cities to be more environment friendly.”
Goldie Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, SmartE, said, “We are excited to embark on this journey with Mahindra Electric in our efforts to make the last-mile commute convenient,safe, affordable and eco-friendly for everyone. We look forward to shifting to the zero-emission, cost-efficient, and more comfortable Mahindra Treo range of electric three-wheelers.”
“As a pioneer in the electric mobility service space, SmartEplans to roll-out 100,000 vehicles by 2022. We believe Mahindra Electric’s solutions will play a critical role in our growth strategy,” he added.
SmartE already has an ongoing partnership with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, among other organizations and delivers nearly 80,000 rides to commuters daily. SmartE has completed over 30 million pollution-free rides in the past three years since its inception and is India’s largest electric vehicle operator today.
The MoU with Mahindra specifically addresses the last-mile connectivity needs of Delhi Metro commuters. SmartE, which has already built a captive EV charging network for 800 vehicles (concurrently) will be ramping up its EV Charging set-up to support the additional 1,000 vehicles in Delhi. With this addition, SmartE’s fleet of EVs will cross 2,000 vehicles by March 2019 and will help serve over 200,000 commuters per day.
As the global pioneer in the development and production of electric vehicles, Mahindra Electric currently has over 5,000 electric vehicles on road, which have clocked more than 95 million ekms. The Treo range of electric three wheelers uses Mahindra Electric’s home grown powertrain and maintenance-free Lithium ion battery.
The variants include the Treo electric auto and Treo Yaari electric rickshaw, both available in industry first, hard top, weather proof variants. With the use of exceptional light weighting technologies and composite body panels, the Treo boasts a certified range of 170 km (eAuto) and 129 km (eRickshaw) directly addressing range anxiety in the market.
Treo is the first range of vehicles to offer connected vehicle features as an optional value addition to the customer. It also offers best in class comfort for passengers with one of the most spacious interiors inthe segment, and for the driver through its clutch-less, noiseless and vibration free drive, thereby reducing overall fatigue during the journey.