World EV Day: Delhi to Mumbai in a battery-powered cab

BluSmart mobility on Wednesday announced it had concluded India's first all-electric commercial vehicle journey from Delhi to Mumbai. The announcement coincided with World EV Day which celebrates EV ownership across a world that is now fast moving towards cleaner modes of transportation.

BluSmart, an electric ride hailing platform, had flagged off a Mahindra e-Verito from Delhi on September 4 on a journey of 1,564 kilometres.

At a time when range anxiety issues stemming also from a nascent EV charging infrastructure remains a challenge, the EV cab bolted across Neemrana, Kothputli, Jaipur, Pali, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Vapi before reaching Mumbai. The company informed that 105 kg of CO2 emissions were saved during the entire trip.

The objective of the EV cab journey was to demonstrate that despite ground challenges, India is ready for electric vehicles, even on highways. "This is our first step to showcase that India is ready for electric vehicles and World EV day turns out to be the appropriate moment for the EVictory lap to conclude successfully," Anmol Jaggi, Founder, BluSmart Mobility, said in a press statement. "The journey entailed fast charging the car five times and slow charging it six times."

BluSmart had undertaken a similar, albeit smaller, journey back in January of 2019 when its EV cab had traveled 260 kilometres from Delhi to Jaipur.