Adani ties up with Uber for electric car fleet: report

The Adani group has tied up with ride-hailing platform Uber to roll out its electric passenger cars, The Times of India reported.

The conglomerate also plans to add the cab-hailing platform services in India under its Adani One super app, the report said. Adani One currently offers a slew of services, from reserving flights to booking airport services and vacation packages.

Adani group chairman Gautam Adani met Uber chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi last week during the latters’s visit to India.

“Absolutely captivating chat with @dkhos, CEO of @Uber. His vision for Uber’s expansion in India is truly inspiring, especially his commitment to uplifting Indian drivers and their dignity. Excited for future collaborations with Dara and his team! #UberIndia,” Adani posted on X (formerly Twitter)

Khosrowshahi responded to the post by posting: “An absolutely terrific conversation with  @gautam_adani over delicious breakfast about India’s phenomenal growth and rising entrepreneurship.  @Uber is committed to scaling up shared mobility and accelerating transition to EVs – looking forward to take our partnership to the next level.

Adani is making a big push into electric vehicles at the port terminals that it operates in efforts to eliminate consumption of fossil fuels, especially diesel. The company is not a car manufacturer, but has electric commercial vehicles such as buses, coaches and trucks.

In its most recent annual report for fiscal 2023, the company said it spent ₹347.7 crore to purchase electric internal transfer vehicles (ITVs) and develop infrastructure for its charging and maintenance.

Internal transfer vehicles are key in port operations, specifically for the transfer of container cargo between ships and the yard.

To mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with ITVs, Adani said it procured 338 electric ITVs for operations across its sites at Mundra, Hazira, Kattupalli and Ennore.

Uber, on the other hand, is looking to boost its presence in the Indian market. Last week, it tied up with the government-backed e-commerce protocol Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to widen the range of mobility offering on its app.

During his visit to Bengaluru last week, Khosrowshahi also met Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani.

Uber, which currently operates in 125 cities in India, has completed 3 billion trips in the past decade in the country, he said during his meeting with Nilekani.