Over 10,000 EVs are Deployed in Flipkart's Delivery Fleet, Meeting its Goal

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Nov 12, 2024 — 2 min read

Flipkart Deploys 10,000+ EVs, Achieves Sustainability Goal

With the addition of more than 10,000 electric vehicles (EVs) to its delivery fleet, e-commerce company Flipkart announced that it has reached a significant milestone. This is the outcome of EVs being gradually included in last-mile deliveries over the previous few years. The company announced that, as part of the Climate Group's EV100 programme, it will transition to a completely electric logistics last-mile fleet by 2030.

Currently, Tier-I cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai are home to 75% of Flipkart's electric fleet. Flipkart also revealed in August 2024 that EVs were completing more than 55% of its food orders. Additionally, it used its electric vehicle fleet to carry more than 16% of groceries to Tier-II and smaller cities, such as Lucknow, Sonipat, Ludhiana, Bhubaneswar, Malda, Hubli, and Vizag, during the 2024 festive season.

Driving Operational Excellence and Setting the Benchmark

Significant operational efficiencies have been achieved as a result of the strategic use of EVs. In comparison to traditional delivery trucks, it has reduced the cost per order at the hub level and increased the last-mile delivery speed by 20%.

Hemant Badri, senior vice president and group head of supply chain, customer experience, and re-commerce business at Flipkart Group, stated that the company is not only promoting operational excellence but also establishing a standard for sustainable practices in the industry at large by combining its growing EV fleet with significant investments in charging infrastructure.

To facilitate this sustainable shift, Flipkart is investing heavily in charging infrastructure in addition to growing its fleet of EVs. In order to promote broader EV adoption, the company has teamed up with the Adani Group to set up 38 specific charging locations with 190 chargers overall in important Tier-II cities. Additional public infrastructure improvements are also planned. In order to improve supply chain operations and grow the integration of electric vehicles, Flipkart has also launched a last-mile aggregate model in Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu, working with fleet operators that are focused on EVs.

Company is Focusing on Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Growth

According to Nishant Gupta, head of sustainability at Flipkart, the company is well-positioned to reach a 100% last-mile electric fleet by 2030 thanks to its strategic partnership with the Climate Group's EV100 initiative and cooperation with top original equipment manufacturers, EV service providers, charging infrastructure partners, financing bodies, and manpower sourcing agencies.

In an effort to reach its goal of having 10,000 electric vehicles for last-mile deliveries by 2025, Amazon India, another e-commerce company, has announced that it has partnered strategically with Gentari, an electric mobility company, for its EV deployment programme.