The Delhi government has come up with an electric vehicle project called ‘Deliver Electric Delhi’. It has partnered with Flipkart, Amazon, Zomato, Blue Dart Express, and 26 other companies to start using electric vehicles for deliveries over the next 12 months.
E-commerce companies such as Zomato and Swiggy have already started to work on creating their EV fleet. Flipkart is also planning to replace about 40 percent of its current delivery fleet with electric vehicles.
The advantages of using electric vehicles are the reduction of air pollution and bring down the cost of transportation. However, the major hindrance against regular use of EVs is their limited range and lack of infrastructure to recharge them.
“Delhi government is committed to reducing vehicular pollution through the introduction of electric vehicles.”Kailash Gahlot, Minister of Transport, Government of NCT of Delhi
There are reports that Ola is also planning to go the electric vehicle route for its cab services.
The Deliver Electric Delhi project is a joint initiative by the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC - Delhi) and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).
Electric scooters now have improved range after many have switched to lithium-ion batteries. They are capable of running about 120-130 Km on a single charge, which would be ideally suited for delivery runs.
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