CB BureauIT consulting and services company Nagarro has launched an electric vehicle (EV) fleet for employee commute in partnership with Lithium Urban Technologies, the country’s first EV cab services company. The EV fleet was inaugurated by TC Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Transport, Haryana.
Starting with an annual investment of about INR 10 million for the transition, it is a phase-wise shift from petrol/ diesel and CNG vehicles. In the first phase, 20 per cent of the fleet is being moved to electric mobility which will eventually go up to 50 per cent by the end of this year. Nagarro’s target is to reduce 150 MT of CO2 emissions annually through this first phase.
This launch is in line with the company’s green mobility initiative wherein it aims to gradually move towards a clean and green employee transport system. It has also set up two fast charging stations at its premises for employees who own or are willing to buy personal electric cars. To encourage green public commuting among its employees, Nagarro has deployed free e-scooters and e-bicycles to further improve last-mile connectivity.
The company spokesperson informs CauseBecause that about 10 per cent of the 5,000 employees are expected to use the EV commute on a regular basis in the first phase. The spokesperson also shared the calculations behind the projected reduction in carbon emissions.
The company plans to eventually move 100 per cent of its fleet to electric vehicles. However, there is no timeline for this. Currently the focus is on building the required infrastructure and a sustainable fleet. The company has other initiatives for green transport such as pedestrian safety, last-mile connectivity, and encouraging people to commute via public transport like metro and shuttles.
In a press release shared with CB, TC Gupta, said, ‘This initiative to adopt electric vehicle is a significant step towards reducing air pollution. The Haryana government will soon be releasing the electric vehicle policy. We have categorised charging of electric vehicle as a service and not as sale of electricity. In fact, charging of electric vehicles will be eligible for domestic tariff for electricity. As part of Haryana Vision Zero, the transport department will buy new electric buses too. Further, we are also focusing on improving road safety and in line with our efforts we have witnessed a reduction of 7% in road accident-related deaths between January 2019 and June 2019 and 11% reduction in July 2019 itself.’
Manas Fuloria, CEO, Nagarro, said, ‘If we want cleaner skies in Delhi-NCR, we must embrace EVs aggressively. Since every new technology has teething issues, Nagarro has decided to adopt and incentivise adoption of EVs among our 5,000 colleagues in Delhi-NCR.’