New Delhi: Chargeup, the company building Bharat’s largest battery swapping network for electric two and three-wheelers, inaugurated its first-ever EV Mela today in Delhi (Uttam Nagar). The unique event brought together stakeholders including NBFCs, EV OEMs, e-commerce and food commerce companies such as Hero Electric, Lohia Auto, Shema Electric, GEM, PaisaLo, Zomato, Blinkit, Vahan, Rapido and Uber.
This is the first time ever that a company like Chargeup has brought together stakeholders from the EV ecosystem in an initiative that aims to accrue benefits for the last mile mobility drivers. The two day Mela is aimed as an enabler for 2 and 3-wheeler drivers to take vehicle demos, select products, and even get loans approved on the spot. The drivers who apply for the loans also became eligible for a lucky draw, and the application process will be followed by onboarding of the selected drivers with the likes of Zomato, Blinkit, Rapido and Uber etc.
Sh. Jogi Ram Jain, Ex-Chairman, Standing Committee, NDMC was the Chief Guest for the event. An interesting panel discussion saw stakeholders from the domain share their thoughts and future projections on the EV ecosystem. The panellists for the session were Varun Goenka, Co-Founder & CEO, Chargeup; Ayush Lohia, CEO, Lohia Auto; Nitin Bhardwaj, Institutional Sales, Hero Electric; Rajeev Seth, VP-MSME, PaisoLo Digital; and Shikhar Agarwal, Program Manager - Electric Vehicles, Zomato.
Speaking about this, Varun Goenka, Co-founder and CEO, Chargeup, said, “At Chargeup, we are powering the growth of last mile mobility drivers by solving the cost and convenience issues of adopting an EV. Our initiatives have helped EV drivers overcome range anxiety through easy battery swapping services. We have also facilitated nearly doubling of their operational range and earning capacity, bringing about better financial security and improvement in the standard of living for the EV drivers and their families. This EV Mela is a step ahead in this direction. This EV Mela provides an end-to-end offering from EV adoption to Employment.”
Nitin Bhardwaj, Institutional Sales, Hero Electric said, “This is a great initiative by Chargeup, and as an EV OEM, it is our endeavour to use the best of technology to create safe, reliable and affordable electric vehicles for the Indian conditions. We hope that the EV Mela will familiarize users with our product range, and enable drivers to benefit from the offering as we believe in providing eco-friendly and convenient 2-wheeler solutions for personal & commercial application with significantly low cost of ownership.”
Ayush Lohia, CEO, Lohia Auto, said, “Lohia Auto is committed to transforming transportation by introducing sustainable, convenient, and affordable last-mile connectivity solutions. We have developed some of the most impactful green technology integrations in our products. This EV Mela is a great opportunity to meet users at individual and corporate levels and discuss mutually beneficial growth prospects with them.”
Rajeev Seth, VP-MSME, PaisoLo Digital said, “In collaboration with Chargeup, we endeavour to help in adoption of EVs by helping to reduce the financing cost for the end-user. This EV Mela will help user to take benefit of attractive financing and become proud owners of EV as well as find employment opportunities.”
Shikhar Agarwal, Program Manager – EVs, Zomato, said, “As one of the leading food delivery apps in India, we make millions of deliveries across the country. It is our aim to steadily reduce the carbon footprint of our logistics. Through this one-of-its-kind EV Mela event by Chargeup, we aim to explore the diversity of EVs available in 2 and 3-wheeler segments, and encourage drivers to buy EVs and onboard with us as delivery partners.”
Rising environmental damage and the threat of climate change are the biggest challenges facing us today. EVs have emerged as a core focus area to counter this risk. Their adoption is rising rapidly in India, and they are being hailed as the future of mobility. To augment efforts in this direction, Chargeup is on a mission to create the largest distribution network for electric 2 & 3 wheelers and help drive mass adoption through solving various challenges present in the ecosystem right from cost of ownership to income generation.