The Silicon Review ^Asia

Tata and Uber collaboration will advance the company's aspirations to provide drivers with guaranteed financial returns

The largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in India, Tata Motors, has agreed to provide 25,000 of its X-Pres-T electric sedans to Uber's network of fleet partners, marking it the country's largest order for electric cars. The vehicles will be supplied over a period of 12 to 15 months, according to a top Tata Motors executive. According to reports, the order is more than twice as large as its 10,000-car agreement with BluSmart from the previous year.

Uber will collaborate with lenders to make it easier for medium- and large-sized fleet operators on its platform to buy these EVs by enabling access to them in a market with limited supply. The premium category will provide EV rides. Additionally, it will collaborate with charge point operators to construct fast chargers at airports and train stations as well as home charging options in multi-family or low-income neighborhoods where driver partners generally live.

According to Prabhjeet Singh, president of India and South Asia at Uber, the collaboration also advances the company's aspirations to provide drivers with guaranteed financial returns on their investments and use its platform experience to decide where and when to deploy the vehicles. While Uber is working on a three-year strategy for their deployment , Tata Motors plans to produce these cars within the next 15 months or so.