Electric cabs are the new-age way to improve sustainability in passenger transportation services. Today we are seeing electric cabs on the roads of many cities in the country.
Running cost of electric cabs is much less than conventional petrol cabs and even CNG-run cabs. As per a study, the average running cost of an e-cab is Rs 1.6/km. This figure is five times higher for a CNG cab and nine times higher for petrol cabs. Over a period of five years, this difference can amount to savings in lakhs! For a more comprehensive understanding, please refer to our blog on Comparing the Economics of Electric Cars and CNG Cars for Fleet Owners.
All electric car ride hailing players are inclined towards longer trips, like to airports, as the economies work out better as opposed to intra-city trips.
Electric cab service companies usually lease or own electric cars and hire drivers to operate them. Unlike Uber & Ola, where mostly drivers own the cars, electric cabs are not owned by the drivers. As EVs are considerably more expensive than conventional cars, this strategy relieves drivers from financial liability and gives them access to a steady income. However, only a small number of people are aware that electric cars have low running costs due to minimal maintenance.
In this blog, EVJoints will discuss India’s top 5 electric-only cab hailing service companies in India:
BluSmart:
BluSmart is India’s 1st all-electric cab hailing service company. It was founded in 2019 by Anmol Jaggi, Punit K Goyal & Puneet Jaggi. The company joined hands with Mahindra to launch the 1st batch of electric cabs (70 Mahindra eVerito EVs) on its platform. Today, the company gets most of its electric cars from Tata Motors. A high majority of the platform’s EV fleet consists of Tata XPRES-T EVs (Tigor EV’s fleet-only version).
A small minority of the company’s fleet are premium cars like MG ZS EV, BYD e6 & Hyundai Kona Electric.
BluSmart functions on an asset-light business model. EVs are procured on a monthly lease-basis. This leasing model helps the company avoid significant capital expenditure. BluSmart’s ‘company-provided cab’ model helps lower financial burden on drivers. Uber & Ola work on the driver ownership model wherein the driver serving in the fleet owns the vehicle through own funds or bank financing. The company-provided cab model allows BluSmart to hire more than one driver for one cab. Using this strategy, the cab can be operated for much longer hours and higher revenue can be generated.
Company cabs get their charging needs fulfilled at 34 dedicated EV charging hubs developed by BluSmart. These charging hubs are located across Delhi-NCR & Bengaluru and have around 4000 charging points in total.
The platform currently operates in Delhi-NCR & Bengaluru. Using the BluSmart app, customers can schedule & book rides and make online payments. The company currently has a fleet of around 6000 electric cabs.
Evera Cabs:
Evera Cabs is a part of Delhi-based Prakriti E-Mobility Pvt Ltd. It is an app-based all-electric cab service company. The platform boasts of 24 hour cab availability and trained full-time drivers with background checks. Evera’s cabs have features like tamper-proof GPS systems and in-car & in-app panic buttons. Apart from booking a cab for a trip on the app, the company also offers rental plans, lease plans and employee transportation services.
The company currently offers its services in Delhi-NCR and has a fleet of around 2200 electric cabs.
eee-Taxi:
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E-mobility startup eee-Taxi mostly provides electric cab service for corporates. The company provides employee transportation services to some of the biggest companies in the country (like SpiceJet, ITC, Deloitte, PwC India, MakeMyTrip, etc). Apart from these, the EV cab service company also has a partnership with Hyderabad Metro. The company was seed-funded by petrochemical giant Shell.
eee-Taxi currently operates around 1000 electric cabs in Delhi-NCR & Hyderabad.
Snap-E Cabs:
Kolkata-based Snap-E Cabs is a part of EC Wheels India Pvt Ltd. The company boasts of verified & experienced drivers. The cabs come with AIS140 certified GPS tracking IoT devices and physical SOS buttons. The company boasts of a no cancellation policy, multi-stop ride bookings and emergency alert system.
The company’s fleet has quickly grown to 600 electric cabs and has forged agreements with key airports & railway stations in West Bengal.
OHM Electric Cabs:
OHM Cabs provide electric cab service to & fro airport and intra-city services. Cab drivers undergo a mandatory training program which includes EV operations & maintenance and soft skills. Drivers provide wet wipes for face, hand sanitizer and candies at the start of the ride.
The company started its journey with 100 e-cabs in 2022, which were deployed at the Hyderabad Airport. Since its launch the company has grown rapidly and has recently ordered 1000 Tata XPRES-T EVs and 300 BYD e6 electric cars to expand its fleet.
Currently, the company provides services in Hyderabad & Secunderabad.
Conclusion:
Electrification of the passenger transport service sector is vital as this sector has a high carbon emission impact per passenger per kilometre. In this transition to electrification, most companies have opted for similar strategies and business models. EV cab operators either own or lease the electric cars and hire drivers. This way there’s less stress of asset ownership on drivers, fuel cost and parking. Their main skill set being put to use is driving and not to manage a depreciating asset.
As EVs gain more traction, expect more electric cabs on roads. Established players like Uber & Ola are also inducting EVs in their fleet and it’s only a matter of time before electric cabs dominate the passenger transport sector.
