Yulu has launched its services in Kolkata, West Bengal in the presence of Ashim Kumar Bose, Member, Mayor-in-council, West Bengal Urban Employment Scheme– Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and other dignitaries. Electrie, a venture founded by city-based industrialist Soham Misra, will deploy Yulu’s full-stack mobility ecosystem – which includes its DeX GR electric vehicles (EVs) and cutting-edge technology platform – across the city with Yulu’s support.
The launch in Yulu’s 13th market also marks the company’s first steps in Eastern India through its franchise partner initiative, Yulu Business Partner (YBP). Similar partner-led ventures are operational in Indore, Kochi, Tirunelveli, Pondicherry and Vadodara. Electrie, a new-age energy and mobility brand, will deploy Yulu Dex EVs across key parts of Kolkata like Topsia, Ballygunge, Park Street, and Jadavpur.
Kolkata’s dense urban layout, growing demand for e-commerce and quick commerce deliveries, and its environmentally-conscious populace make it ideal for Yulu’s goods mobility service. In its quest to create a clean mobility ecosystem for businesses in the city, Electrie aims to onboard ~1,000 delivery riders working for brands like Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto and Amazon over the coming six months.
Amit Gupta, Co-founder & CEO of Yulu, said, “Kolkata’s dynamic growth and its increasing focus on sustainability make it a perfect fit for Yulu’s eco-friendly shared electric mobility platform. We are thrilled to unveil Yulu’s partnership with Electrie. We are also excited to work with Soham Misra, whose deep market understanding and ambition to drive a sustainable mobility revolution will enable Yulu to accelerate the EV transition not just within Kolkata, but also the wider region in due time.”
He added, “With this launch, Yulu’s YBP initiative has reached six cities, in addition to the seven where we have a direct presence. Yulu looks forward to collaborating with more entrepreneurs across India to democratise clean and sustainable mobility alternatives for last-mile deliveries, leisure rides and commutes.”
Commenting on the partnership, Soham Misra, Founder of Electrie, said, “We are excited to partner with Yulu for the rollout of this high-tech and sustainable goods mobility service in Kolkata. Electrie aims to become the largest provider of last-mile delivery, sales, operations, and maintenance services for battery-operated vehicles in East India. Together, we look forward to driving the adoption of EVs for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in the region, helping business partners reduce their carbon footprint and contributing to a greener, cleaner and pollution-free India.”
Yulu’s technology-powered mobility platform has found a strong product-market fit for quick commerce and e-commerce delivery applications, attested by the fact that the company operates over 45,000 shared EVs on the roads across India. By eliminating fuel costs and maintenance, the platform lowers brands’ delivery costs by 30-40% and increases vehicle uptime and rider efficiency. Yulu also provides delivery riders with an affordable and efficient mobility option, thus unlocking sustainable livelihoods for lakhs of gig workers across the country.
While the initial deployment in Kolkata will cover a select set of city neighbourhoods, Electrie will gradually expand the shared mobility offering to Rajarhat, Salt Lake, and New Town, as well as other districts like Howrah and North & South 24 Parganas, in due time. The EV fleet’s energy requirements will be currently met by three battery swapping stations set up by Yuma Energy, India’s leading battery as a service (BaaS) company, in Central, East and South Kolkata.