India Ride-Hailing Company Targets 1 Million EVs by 2021

Ola, India’s largest ride-hailing company, aims to have 1 million electric vehicles in its fleet by 2021.

The company’s “Mission Electric” initiative kicks off this month with a goal of 10,000 EVs—mostly electrified three-wheel rickshaws—in three cities over the next year. The plan builds on a pilot program launched last year May in Nagpur, which includes electric buses, cabs and rickshaws that have accumulated a combined 2.5 million miles of testing.

As part of the program, Ola will work with vehicle manufacturers, battery companies, charging networks, fleet operators and drivers. The company says it is evaluating various technologies and services to optimize batteries and charging systems, including battery swapping schemes.

In the fiscal year ending last March, some 22,000 electric vehicles were sold in India. But the country’s aggressive EV plan aims to put 6 million such vehicles on the road by 2020.

Ola hired Anand Shah last month to lead the EV initiative. Shah most recently was a senior vice president for Albright Stonebridge Group, a Washington D.C.-based consulting firm headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright. He previously held executive positions with BMW and Audi, with responsibilities for developing new mobility strategies.

Founded in 2011, Ola operates in more than 110 cities throughout India. The company is backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group, which also is the largest investor in rival Uber Technologies Inc.