Flipkart Ties up With Mahindra Logistics to Accelerate EV Deployment

Indian e-commerce major – Flipkart has partnered with Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL) as one of its key logistics partners to help fast-track deployment of electric vehicles (EV) across its logistics fleet in the country. The move follows on from the e-commerce majors commitment to have a 100 percent electric logistics fleet and deploy more than 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030 in the process.

With a shared commitment and vision towards sustainable business practices, Mahindra Logistics 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. MLL 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 in the near future. Another key focus area will be technology and control tower operations to enable greater efficiency and cost competitiveness.

Hemant Badri, SVP Supply Chain, Flipkart Group, said “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. Through collective efforts, we aim to build and support solutions that boost EV adoption across the country and gradually make a 100 percent transition to EVs in our logistics fleet”

Flipkart has already partnered with many OEMs and introduced two and three-wheeled electric vehicles in its supply chain. The company’s partnership with MLL 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. MLL 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.

Rampraveen Swaminathan, CEO & MD of MLL said, “Mahindra Logistics is deeply committed to sustainability, in line with our RISE philosophy. The EV-based last-mile delivery service EDEL is aligned to this and 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.”

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.