Uber, Mahindra join hands to deploy electric vehicles in India

Uber, the world's largest ridesharing company, has signed an agreement with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd to deploy electric vehicles (EVs) across India. The companies intend to deploy the EVs on Uber platform.

To begin with, the companies will deploy EVs in Delhi and Hyderabad. These will include Mahindra's e2oPlus hatch and eVerito sedan, Uber said in a statement.

Both the companies will also explore deployment of Mahindra EVs to other cities.

''Aligned with the government's vision, we aim to build a more sustainable future of mobility, moving more people needing on-demand services with fewer, fuller, and more efficient vehicle trips. We see a key role for high efficiency vehicle technologies, and therefore believe that this collaboration with Mahindra, the pioneers in the electric vehicles space, will be truly beneficial not just for Uber but for our driver partners, riders and the cities we operate in,'' Madhu Kannan, chief business officer, Uber India & Emerging Markets, said.

''EV adoption is clearly gaining momentum in India.  As the pioneers of electric vehicles in the country we would like to be at the forefront, leading this change toward smart and sustainable mobility.  Our collaboration with Uber is an important next step to help accelerate the large scale adoption of EVs on shared mobility platforms, and meet the nation's vision for EVs,'' Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said.

Through this collaboration, driver partners on the Uber app can avail Mahindra EVs at competitive prices, attractive financing and insurance premiums and comprehensive maintenance packages from Mahindra and its associates.

Further, to make this model sustainable, Mahindra and Uber will work closely with public and private players who are in the process of setting-up a common use charging ecosystem across multiple locations in the cities.

Mahindra will also support with driver education and training related to various aspects of electric vehicles.

Going forward, electric vehicles will play a major role in reducing urban pollution plaguing several Indian cities and resulting in health hazards. With the increased penetration of EVs and eventual 100 per cent transition, the country and its citizens stand to benefit tremendously.