Taiwan’s Gogoro announces three-way tie-up with Zomato, Kotak Mahindra
Taiwanese electric two-wheeler giant, Gogoro Inc. has partnered with leading food ordering and delivery Zomato and financing solution Kotak Mahindra Prime Ltd. The three-way partnership will enable Zomato’s delivery partners to adopt Gogoro electric scooters as a means of last-mile delivery solutions with Kotak enabling the financing for the same. The e-scooters will be utilising Gogoro’s battery-swapping network.
The three-way tie-up is the first of its kind in India and will enable over 300,000 of Zomato’s delivery partners to purchase Gogoro’s electric scooters to use for deliveries. The move is also in line with Zomato’s commitment towards the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative to transition to 100 per cent EV-based deliveries by 2030. Gogoro and Kotak will offer last-mile delivery partners with battery-swapping services and affordable loan terms as part of the agreement. The battery-swapping network also overcomes challenges related to parking and home charging for delivery partners.
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Speaking about the partnership, Horace Luke, founder, and CEO - Gogoro, said, “The urban transformation to electric transportation in India’s cities has begun and it is essential that we provide delivery partners with an accessible path to own and leverage the benefits that smart electric two-wheel vehicles and battery swapping offer. Gogoro, Zomato and Kotak are partnering to make this a reality. Gogoro Network battery swapping and vehicles provide a proven track record of safety and security that Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) like Kotak Prime can embrace and support. This partnership will provide a powerful opportunity for delivery partners to lead India’s transition to smart and safe electric transportation."
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“Electric two-wheelers powered by affordable, reliable, and accessible battery swapping solutions can positively impact delivery partner pay-outs, apart from reducing air pollution. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Gogoro and Kotak on this endeavour," said Mohit Sardana, COO - Food Delivery at Zomato.
Kotak Mahindra says that the payment delinquency will be low with delivery partners thanks to its more “accessible loan terms" as well as a low acquisition cost owing to the battery-swapping network. The manufacturer can also pause access to battery swapping, should the delivery partner fail to pay the loan EMIs on time.
Vyomesh Kapasi, MD & CEO - Kotak Mahindra Prime Limited, said, “We are pleased to partner with Gogoro and Zomato to further the adoption of electric two-wheelers in the country. Sustainable transportation and easy loan access to consumers is the key. This is an exciting opportunity for Zomato delivery partners to get access to Gogoro Smartscooters and Gogoro’s Swap & Go battery swapping network."
Gogoro announced its India entry last year and the company commenced operations with a pilot project in association with Zypp Electric. The company recently homologated the 2-Series electric scooter in the country into Standard and Plus models. The company’s India website lists two models - Supersport and 2-Series - that will likely arrive in the future. Gogoro will be actively investing in building a battery-swapping infrastructure in the coming months and has partnered with Belrise to collectively invest $2.5 billion to set up the battery-swapping infrastructure in Maharashtra.
