Swiggy opens 25 battery-swap centres at Instamart pods at EV council with Nitin Gadkari

Swiggy today held an electric vehicle mobility council in the presence of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. The theme of the council was "Powering last-mile delivery". Swiggy describes itself as India's leading on-demand convenience platform.

Electric vehicle makers, charging and battery-swapping companies, partners providing vehicles on rent and fleets, financing institutions and delivery partners gathered at the event. They discussed how electric two-wheelers can become a practical and affordable option for last-mile delivery.

At the event, Swiggy started battery-swapping centres at 25 of its Instamart pods, together with partners from different regions. Swiggy is also offering electric vehicles on rent at these pods. Delivery partners will be able to pick up a vehicle at the same place where they come to collect orders.

According to Swiggy, on a busy day a delivery partner comes to a pod about 20 times a day. That is why battery-swapping centres and rental EVs have been placed right at the pod. Partners do not have to go elsewhere to charge or collect a vehicle, which saves their time. They can use the saved time to make more deliveries or for themselves.

Sriharsha Majety, co-founder and CEO of Swiggy, said, "There is a person behind every order, and the responsibility for last-mile delivery rests with that person. Our delivery partners are at the centre of everything we do, and our aim is to make their work easier and more rewarding. For those who choose electric vehicles, it is important to remove the hurdles in their daily work, so that the shift to EVs fits easily into the way they work now."

Majety added, "When a facility is built around the daily work of partners rather than around technology, adoption happens on its own. Our goal is to help build such a future for the people who handle India's last-mile delivery."

Neha Singhvi, head of corporate affairs at Swiggy, said, "If the use of EVs in last-mile delivery is to grow, some basic facilities are needed that are not limited to a single platform. These include affordable financing, reliable charging and battery-swapping, and supportive policies. Many of the partners honoured today have worked on exactly these problems, and their experience is important for the whole sector. We value the government's continued support and look forward to working with industry and policymakers to find measures that help partners who choose EVs."

The event honoured delivery partners who have taken the lead in adopting electric vehicles and partners who contributed to building the infrastructure needed for it. The companies honoured included Indofast Energy, Yulu, Bounce Daily, RIDEV, Baaz Bikes, Motovolt, Shadowfax, BeGaus Auto, Zypp... Vello Mobility, Hala Mobility and Yuma Energy. Among delivery partners, Sajan Lal, Kamal Kumar, Avneesh, Sandeep Gupta, Vijay, Ritik and Khurshid were honoured.

Varun Agni, co-founder and CTO of Bounce, said at the event, "One of the biggest hurdles for anyone who wants to do delivery work is not owning a vehicle. Many of our riders did not have a vehicle of their own before they started working with us. Through this partnership, a rider gets an affordable electric vehicle whenever needed for work, and battery-swapping is already available. The time, effort and money saved add directly to the rider's daily earnings and help meet customer demand more efficiently. For both riders and customers, this is a big achievement for the sector as a whole."

Umesh, a delivery partner who uses an EV, said, "I took an EV on rent at an affordable rate through the Swiggy app. As per my choice, its rent is deducted from my earnings. When I go to the Instamart pod to pick up orders, the battery is also swapped there easily. So I am able to make the most of my day and earn more."