Avis India and quikk India have announced a partnership for offering integrated solutions for corporate electric mobility services.
“We are providing new-age and intelligent electric mobility solutions aimed at employee transportation and chauffeur-driven services in India,” Mr Sunil Gupta, MD & CEO of AVIS India, revealed.
Under the partnership, Avis India and quikk India have developed an innovative, integrated AI-based model that combines transportation services along with access to a robust charging infrastructure, at costs broadly comparable with those of current ICE vehicles. The association is expected to transform the EV space even further, with developments such as better battery performances and reduced costs of EVs likely over the next 12-18 months.
A study has revealed that 56% of people would prefer to buy an electric car because they are technologically more advanced and cleaner. However, they want a practical solution for the availability of a charging infrastructure and are concerned about the perceived higher costs, apparent range limitations, and the time taken for charging. “quikk’s solutions allow fleets to migrate to EVs by providing a dedicated rapid charging infrastructure. Our solution is designed around customer needs and is cost-effective since it optimizes the cost of the infrastructure and reduces vehicle idle and charging times,” said Mr Navjeet Singh Kalsi, MD of quikk India.
“We are creating a dedicated virtual private network for use by a corporate fleet which scales seamlessly with growing business needs,” continued Mr Kalsi. “We think India will lead the electric vehicle revolution, not only because of the government’s push and the size of the automotive market, but because electric vehicles underscore a value consciousness that drives the purchasing decision of the technically-informed Indian consumer.”
The service will be first rolled out in the Delhi-NCR area, followed by other metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. With the electrification of mobility requiring close collaboration between all of the ecosystem stakeholders, AVIS and quikk shall also cooperate closely with major electric vehicle manufacturers during the rollout of the new service.
With this partnership, Avis and quikk have positioned themselves at the vanguard of an emerging global ecosystem that is projected to comprise 220 million electric cars and 7 million electric buses by 2030. Dozens of new full-electric models have been announced in India, while the purchase costs for electric cars are also set to achieve parity with ICE vehicles much sooner than expected.
“We are setting up trials with customers to demonstrate the immediate feasibility of going electric. It is a strategic decision that will reduce carbon footprint, meet our customers’ expectations and create a path to cost reduction in the near future,” Mr Sunil Gupta, MD & CEO, Avis India.
Electric vehicles are becoming more economically viable in India, with announcements of new models with extended range and better performances in the pipeline for the next 12-18 months. A fully electric future looks more proximate than before.
“AVIS is one of the world leaders in mobility and car rentals, with a strong global presence, outstanding service, and advanced technology,” Stefano D.M. Sommadossi, CEO of quikk Group, said, “so it is a natural fit for us. We are working with fleet managers that have more than 500,000 vehicles to migrate to electric. We provide an AI-based solution to drive the adoption of electric vehicles for professional use by bringing the cost down and increase the value of electric vehicles by optimising the way that they are used. quikk‘s goal in India is to install 22,000 rapid chargers in our dedicated qWEBs.”
