In a move towards sustainable mobility, Rapido, India’s leading bike, auto, and cab aggregator platform, has partnered with IndoFast Energy – a 50-50 joint venture of IOCL and SUN Mobility, to roll out 10,000 of Piaggio’s swappable e-autos, E-city Max, across India in the next 24 months. Starting with Hyderabad, Bangalore and other major cities in southern India, the partnership will add over 1000, EVs to the country’s public transport system by December 2024.
The partnership between Rapido and IndoFast Energy began with a pilot in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi in 2023, with the aim to integrate IndoFast Energy’s advanced swappable battery technology into Rapido’s platform, enhancing the accessibility, efficiency, and convenience of electric vehicles.
Building on the success of the pilot program launched by the two companies, the collaboration has facilitated the establishment of 100+ swap stations in Hyderabad and Bangalore, allowing auto captains to swap batteries and minimize downtime. Rapido aims to cater to around 20% of its daily rides using swappable electric autos.
“At Rapido, our mission is to provide affordable, convenient, and eco-friendly mobility solutions. This partnership with IndoFast Energy allows us to significantly enhance our EV offerings on the platform, aligning with our commitment to sustainability,” said Mr. Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder of Rapido.
Anant Badjatya, CEO, Indofast Energy, said, “Our partnership with Rapido marks a key milestone in our effort to make commuting more sustainable and accessible. This joint initiative is a direct result of the success of the pilot we started with Rapido almost a year back. We will now expedite our deployment across India including in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai to make this initiative a great success”
Mr Diego Graffi, Chairman and MD, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt ltd said, “ We are proud of the performance, robustness, durability, and ease of usage that Ape Electrik provides customers with. By partnering with Rapido and IndoFast Energy, we aim to deploy over 10,000 3W EV swappable battery vehicles in 24 months across India. With negligible down time for EVs, swappable battery solution is cost effective and promising future of EVs. This partnership would be a significant contribution to India’s EV mission as well as a push for the benefits of a swappable battery solution.”
Rapido along with Indofast Energy is also exploring the introduction of high-speed premium two-wheelers and retrofitted three-wheelers onto its platform to further diversify its eco-friendly ride-hailing offerings.