Online grocery retailer BigBasket has signed on a range of electric vehicles to increase efficiencies and cut down on operating costs as part of its environment-friendly initiatives.

The company, which is likely to close a fresh round of funding with participation from International Finance Corporation and others, has recently signed on multiple pilots with electric vehicle manufacturers for a delivery overhaul.

“We are happy to invest in capital expenditure for our green initiatives as they bring down the operating costs over time apart from increasing efficiencies. This is what we have raised capital for,” said Hari Menon, cofounder of BigBasket, which has been piloting the environment-friendly initiatives through its Innovation Team.

He said the capital earmarked for this will be decided on the outcome of the pilots. Hyderabad-based Gayam Motor Works has signed up with the grocery etailer to pilot its electric autorickshaws in Vizag and Vijaywada.

If successful, the three-wheelers will be used for deliveries across tier-2 cities where BigBasket has a presence. “It is the first order for our electric autos which give a mileage of 100 to 110 km for a three-hour of charge. We have been working on the prototype for three years now,” said Rahul Gayam, cofounder of Gayam Motorworks.

The company had also partnered an electric four-wheeler manufacturer for delivery in Delhi which is currently in the pilot stage, apart from an electric two-wheeler company to pilot deliveries for its 1-hour express delivery service.

“Currently, two of our initiatives should go live. One is the use of solar power in the Bengaluru warehouse, which we plan on scaling to all of our 8 large warehouses across the country. Second, is the use of battery-operated segue equivalent vehicle,” said Menon of BigBasket.

Source: The Economic Times