Hero Electric And BOLT Partner To Set Up 50,000 EV Charging Stations Across India
Hero Electric is one of India’s largest electric two-wheeler company, has partnered with BOLT, one of India’s largest EV charging network, to set up 50,000 EV charging stations in India in the next one year. As part of the collaboration, BOLT chargers will be installed in more than 750 Hero Electric’s touch points across India benefitting over 4.5 lakh customers. Around 2,000 Hero Electric riders will avail free of cost BOLT charging units set up at their homes. With rising fuel prices, this tie-up is expected to boost EV adoption and the movement towards carbon-free mobility in India.
Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric said, “We are delighted to partner with BOLT as its charging network will offer affordable charging solutions further, encouraging the switch to electric vehicles. A robust charging network has aided the growth of EVs by curbing range anxiety among riders. Our mission is to enable carbon-free mobility and fasten EV adoption in the country by building a strong charging ecosystem and re-skilling mechanics to offer an enhanced EV riding experience. We are positive that this collaboration will broaden our efforts to reach the set objective. This partnership will benefit the industry overall and allow e2W riders easy access to charging stations pan India.”
The partnership will help both Hero Electric and BOLT achieve their shared goal of providing a robust, affordable and accessible EV charging infrastructure to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles in the country. Additionally, BOLT will be integrated within the Hero Electric App and website, offering a one-stop solution for locating a charging station, booking a slot, and payment. Post-installation of BOLT charging stations, individuals can choose between private/public modes of operation for their charging stations and decide the price depending on existing commercial/EV tariffs. Moreover, subscription-based plans will be announced for Hero Electric riders to ease their usage.
Jyotiranjan Harichandan, Cofounder, BOLT said, “We are excited to partner with the country’s leading EV brand to fulfill our combined goal of an increased EV adoption across the country by providing EV users with an affordable, accessible and ubiquitous charging network. This collaboration will help to create a seamless charging experience for lakhs of Hero Electric customers as they can use the existing Hero Electric app and website for discovery, booking and payment. With having a “Charger on-demand”, range anxiety will be history as we move towards achieving our goal of installing over 1 million charging points over the next 2 years.”
The BOLT charging network is hardware agnostic and will integrate with any charging solution provider in the country. The BOLT OS comes pre-installed in many EVs and, BOLT’s revolutionary vehicles to charger connectivity (V2C) will enable a seamless fastag-like EV charging experience for EV users.
Hero Electric and BOLT will also be doing a Pilot for IOT tracking solutions for their vehicles. The pilot will also provide Fleet management and charging management solutions to all Hero Electric B2B partners. BOLT will also integrate the BOLT OS enabled Smart speedometer solution with Hero Electric vehicles, enabling a smarter, secure and connected ecosystem, along with BOLT Charging Network.
BOLT was founded in 2017 by Mohit Yadav and Jyotiranjan Harichandan with the aim of making electric vehicles more accessible, smart, safe, and connected. BOLT claims to be the World’s Largest Peer-to-Peer Charging Network, comprising the universal BOLT Charging Point and the BOLT Operating System. It is India’s one of the first dedicated networks of IoT-enabled EV charging points connecting riders across the country. The modular and customizable BOLT OS can be easily integrated into EVs. The start-up has raised $4.5 million in funding from Union Square Ventures and Prime Venture Partners and has offices in Bangalore and Singapore.
BOLT is one of India’s largest EV charging networks, comprising the universal BOLT Charging Point and the BOLT Operating System developed with the objective of building a strong EV charging infrastructure, it is one India’s pioneer dedicated network of IoT-enabled EV charging points connecting riders across the country. Made-in-India, BOLT is a universal charging point which is compatible with any portable charger that comes with EVs and works with the existing AC power supply everywhere. Over 10,000 charging points have already been installed across 100 different cities in India, with an installed capacity of over 33000KW and 50,000 active users. The organisation is also on track to deploy 100,000 charging points in the next 6 months across India in response to the overwhelming demand for a safe, reliable and affordable EV charging infrastructure combined with collaboration with other EV ecosystem players.
Hero Electric is the only EV manufacturer to achieve 1 lakh sales milestone for FY22. With over 4.5 lakhs vehicles on road the organisation’s endeavour is to make the country greener with ‘Zero Pollution’ transportation through its wide range of Electric Vehicles, supported by their Mission of “No Emission”. Hero Electric is a SA 8000 certified organization that is environmentally conscious, socially responsible and professionally ethical in its business operations. Hero Electric is one of the oldest and India's Largest Electric two-wheeler companies and has been at the forefront of the electric 2-wheeler industry. The company’s manufacturing unit is in Ludhiana, and it sells a wide range of electric scooters catering to a wide spectrum of customers. Hero Electric currently has over 700 and rapidly expanding sales and service outlets spread across the country along with a widespread charging network and trained roadside mechanics on EVs. It has a lot of firsts in the industry ranging from developing and launching the first lithium ion based electric scooters in India to launching the unique concept of charging stations for anywhere, everywhere charging. With over 4 lakh electric two-wheelers in India, the company has been delivering sustainable travel solutions over the past 14 years and counting and has played a crucial role in developing and promoting the EV market in the country.
Hero Electric and BOLT were recently associated with Indian Small Business and Franchise Association (ISFA) ‘India EV Show - Electric Vehicle Leadership Summit and Exhibition, Charging Towards and Eco-Friendly Future’ which was held on 16 March 2022 at Hotel Le Meridien, Gurugram National Capital Territory, India. The show was supported by the Make in India initiative. The Make in India initiative was launched by Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narender Modi in September 2014.
Opening keynote address was given by Mohit Yadav, Co Founder, Bolt and special address was given by Sohinder Singh Gill, CEO of Hero Electric India.
Jyotiranjan Harichandan, Co Founder, Bolt and Sohinder Singh were both speakers in the first panel of the conference titled ‘Will India be Atmanirbhar Bharat in Electric Vehicle by 2030?’ The panel spoke on India's EV revolution, the numbers by 2030, 30% private cars 70% commercial vehicles 40% buses and 80% two-wheeler, the adoption and promotion and the present numbers that being 8.7 lakh EVs registered across states.
The event was power packed with the industry leaders and buck stoppers all geared to debate, discuss and strategize the present, the road map and the future of Electric Vehicle in India.
The show was supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India; Technology Department Board, Department of Science and Technology, MEITY Start-up Hub and The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry in association with Invest Global, Automotive Skill Development Council (ASDC), Society of Manufactures of Electric Vehicles (SMEV). Franchise India, India’s leader of the biggest and marquee conferences, awards and exhibitions organised the event.
Honourable Union Minister Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (MSME) was the Chief Guest.
