Indian legacy automaker Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Adani Total Energies E-Mobility (ATEL) have teamed up to bolster the local electric vehicle charging network amid the growing shift to electric mobility.
Partnership
M&M and ATEL formally inked a Memorandum of Understanding on Thursday to build an extensive charging infrastructure to further encourage electric vehicle uptake in India, which is currently the third-largest automotive market in the world.
M&M announced that the partnership would give XUV400 owners access to more than 1,100 chargers via its Bluesense+ App, enabling more accessible and convenient charging, CNBCTV 18 reported.
The partners will also reportedly launch other electric mobility solutions to enable easy access to the charging network. These include the necessary features to support seamless discovery, availability, navigation, and transactions.
“This alliance is a cornerstone in enhancing the EV charging infrastructure. It ensures our customers enjoy seamless access to the charging network and digital integration for an unparalleled EV experience. In line with out commitment to enhancing customer experience with partner network, we are actively on-boarding multiple partners to broaden the EV ecosystem, driving the adoption of electric vehicles.”
Veejay Nakra, President of Automotive Division at M&M
ATEL Chief Executive Manglani also commended the newly formed partnership, citing its potential to encourage more Indian people to join the electric mobility transition.
“The collaboration with M&M for the charging infrastructure will bolster the confidence of customers to embrace EV technology as part of the energy transition.”
Suresh P Manglani, Executive Director & CEO of ATEL
Mahindra and Adani seek to address the lack of charging infra in India
M&M and ATEL’s partnership comes as the lack of sufficient charging infrastructures has continuously impeded electric vehicle sales growth in India. According to Fortune India, the Confederation of Indian Industry projects the industry to require 13 lakh new charging stations by 2030 to accommodate the growing number of electric vehicles on the road.
“By the year 2030, even in a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario of 40% year-on-year growth, we will see about 1.6 crore EVs being sold every year.
To achieve a 1:40 ratio of charging infrastructure to EVs, a ratio that would be imperative to support the increased fleet of EVs, we would need to install more than 4 lakh chargers annually with a total of 13.20 lakh chargers till 2030 across the country.”
Confederation of Indian Industry said in a recent note
Mahindra’s EV plans
In hindsight, M&M also recently partnered with Volkswagen Group to gain access to the MEB platform’s key electric components. The Indian automaker aims to use the electric components from the Volkswagen Group to build its INGLO electric platform.
All these efforts are part of M&M’s strategy to advance in the electric vehicle market. It previously announced plans to launch five new INGLO-based EVs in India.
The first model to hit the market is the XUV.e8, followed by the XUV.e9, BE.05, BE.07, and BE.09.
M&M and Atel’s partnership demonstrates their dedication to decarbonizing the local transportation sector and promoting the shift to a more sustainable future.
