Rapido has introduced a partnership with IndoFast Power, a three way partnership of IOCL and SUN Mobility, to deploy 10,000 of Piaggio’s swappable electrical autos, E-Metropolis Max, throughout India over the following 24 months. Beginning with main cities in southern India akin to Hyderabad and Bangalore, the partnership goals to introduce over 1,000 EVs to public transportation by December 2024.
The collaboration started with a pilot program in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi in 2023. This pilot aimed to combine IndoFast Power’s superior swappable battery know-how into Rapido’s platform to enhance the accessibility, effectivity, and comfort of electrical autos. The success of the pilot program allowed the institution of over 100 swap stations in Hyderabad and Bangalore, minimising downtime by permitting auto captains to shortly swap batteries. Rapido plans to cater to round 20% of its day by day rides utilizing these swappable electrical autos.
Enhancing sustainability and empowering driversPavan Guntupalli, Co-founder of Rapido, stated, “At Rapido, our mission is to offer reasonably priced, handy, and eco-friendly mobility options. This partnership with IndoFast Power permits us to considerably improve our EV choices on the platform, aligning with our dedication to sustainability. By introducing swappable electrical autos operated by our Captains, we’re not solely decreasing the carbon footprint but in addition empowering our drivers with sustainable incomes alternatives, setting a brand new benchmark for the ride-hailing trade.”
Anant Badjatya, CEO of IndoFast Power, remarked, “Our partnership with Rapido marks a key milestone in our effort to make commuting extra sustainable and accessible. This joint initiative is a direct results of the success of the pilot we began with Rapido nearly a yr again. We are going to now expedite our deployment throughout India together with in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Chennai to make this initiative an amazing success.”
Swappable battery technologyDiego Graffi, Chairman and MD of Piaggio Autos Pvt Ltd, acknowledged, “As pioneers of 3W electrical mobility in India, as we speak, we have now over 50,000 Ape Electrik autos operating throughout the nation. Of those, already over 2500 Ape Electrik autos have a swappable battery resolution and plenty of of those have run over 1 lakh kms. We’re happy with the efficiency, robustness, sturdiness, and ease of utilization that Ape Electrik supplies clients with. By partnering with Rapido and IndoFast Power, we purpose to deploy over 10,000 3W EV swappable battery autos in 24 months throughout India.””With negligible down time for EVs, swappable battery options are value efficient and promising for the way forward for EVs. This partnership can be a major contribution to India’s EV mission in addition to a push for the advantages of a swappable battery resolution,” he added.
IndoFast Power’s swap stations are designed to facilitate swift battery exchanges, permitting customers to swap depleted batteries for totally charged ones in beneath two minutes. The community of swap stations makes ‘EV refueling’ quicker, cheaper, and extra handy than utilizing standard petrol and diesel autos. This resolution operates on a pay-per-use mannequin, enabling EV customers to pay just for the power used per swap, the corporate stated.
IndoFast Power has additionally introduced plans to arrange 10,000 swapping stations throughout 40+ cities within the subsequent three years to satisfy the rising demand for swappable EVs.
Rapido and IndoFast Power are additionally exploring the potential introduction of high-speed premium two-wheelers and retrofitted three-wheelers to their platform, aiming to diversify their eco-friendly ride-hailing choices additional.
