Zomato, Blinkit won't have fully electric delivery fleet by 2030
What's the story
Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, is re-evaluating its goal of a fully electric delivery fleet by 2030. The reassessment comes in light of rapid business growth and an evolving electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem. Anjalli Ravi Kumar, Chief Sustainability Officer at Eternal, confirmed the company's commitment to electrifying its fleet but acknowledged that the original timeline may not be feasible anymore.
Timeline considerations
New timeline to consider EV availability
Kumar said the new timeline will be determined by factors such as availability of electric vehicles, supportive government policies, and transportation needs across its various businesses.
She stressed that despite the challenges, Eternal's delivery fleet is already seeing higher EV adoption than the broader Indian two-wheeler market.
"We were already at almost double the market penetration," Kumar said while discussing their progress in EV adoption within their own fleet.
Policy impact
Zomato introduces equal-benefit policy to promote EV adoption
To further promote EV adoption, Zomato has introduced an equal-benefit policy.
Under this scheme, delivery partners using electric vehicles are paid the same as those using petrol-powered ones, even though the operating costs are lower for EVs.
Kumar said Eternal also provides access to electric vehicles through rental options on its delivery partner app and initiatives like the EV Bazaar.
Access concerns
Kumar raises concerns about guaranteeing EV access for partners
Kumar also raised concerns about guaranteeing access to EVs for a large number of partners across cities.
"Can I guarantee that all 30 lakh people joining us will have access to an EV across 900 cities? I'm not in a position to make that guarantee," she said.
This highlights the challenges posed by the scale of Eternal's delivery operations in ensuring reliable and affordable access to electric vehicles for its partners.