NEW DELHI: Ride-hailing platform Uber on Wednesday said it has partnered with SUN Mobility, an energy infrastructure and services provider as part of its efforts to strengthen the electric vehicle ecosystem in India.
Under the partnership, SUN Mobility will offer its energy infrastructure platform which includes swappable smart batteries and Quick interchange stations to select original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for building e-autos, a statement said.
Fleet owners and Uber's driver-partners will benefit because they can buy vehicles without the battery to save money on initial acquisition costs.
They will receive charged, swappable batteries as a service by SUN Mobility, thereby helping bring the overall cost of e-autos in line with their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterpart, it added.
"In the coming months, this partnership will be piloted across select cities.
Uber's deep knowledge and expertise in creating global mobility platforms combined with SUN Mobility's unique energy infrastructure will accelerate the adoption of convenient and affordable zero-emission mobility across India," the statement said.
The partnership is an important step forward in fulfilling Uber's vision of creating a mobility ecosystem that is sustainable, provides cleaner air and helps build smarter cities across the region, Pradeep Parameswaran, president of Uber, India and South Asia, said.
"Our mission is to give users a cost-effective and convenient energy infrastructure solution to accelerate the adoption of EVs.
Partnering with Uber, the leading global player in personal mobility will help create a wide EV landscape at scale, that will transform the way people commute," SUN Mobility Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman Chetan Maini said.
Recently, the Indian government has started offering several incentives to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles in the country.
This includes NITI Aayog's FAME II proposal that provides a budget of Rs 10,000 crore to accelerate adoption of EVs and recommends phasing out internal combustion engine 3-wheelers by 2023 and 2-wheelers by 2025.