DMRC launches fleet of e-autos from Dwarka sector 21 station

Officials said the 50 e-autos launched on Wednesday will be operated in and around eight Metro stations of the Dwarka sub-city, with DMRC planning to introduce nearly 800 e-autos across Delhi by the end of the year.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday launched its first fleet of electric autos (e-autos) at the Dwarka Sector 21 Metro station in collaboration with Sun Mobility and the Delhi transport department as an environment friendly solution to the last-mile connectivity problem.

New Delhi, India - 19 August 2013 - The Eight coach metro leaving Ashok Nagar station on its maiden run in New Delhi India on Monday 19 August 2013, The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is pressing the first eight-coach train into service on the crowded Blue line, as the Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali route. Photo by Mohd Zakir / Hindustan Times

Officials said the 50 e-autos launched on Wednesday will be operated in and around eight Metro stations of the Dwarka sub-city, with DMRC planning to introduce nearly 800 e-autos across Delhi by the end of the year.

The push towards electric vehicles (EV) is also part of the government’s initiative to encourage EV adoption as part of Delhi’s electric vehicle policy 2020, with DMRC on Wednesday permitting Sun Mobility the use of its land at the Janakpuri West, Dwarka and Dwarka Sector 21 Metro stations to set up parking and battery swapping facilities for its fleet.

The battery swapping facilities are also aimed at keeping fares at a minimum. For these e-autos, the fare will start at ₹10 for the first 2 kilometres and ₹5 for every subsequent kilometre, officials said.

Vikas Kumar, managing director, DMRC, said this adds to the corporation’s vision of being able to provide zero-emission last-mile connectivity to its commuters. “Battery swapping facilities also increase affordability and accessibility for all our stakeholders,” he said.

Anant Badjatya, CEO of Sun Mobility, said this allows them to introduce and showcase their full-stack mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solution for e-three-wheelers.

“This collaboration between mass rapid transit provider, EV original equipment manufacturer, charging infrastructure operator and fleet operator exemplifies how multi-modal transport could go green in India through a PPP model,” he said.

Meanwhile, officials said the stations that will be covered by these e-autos are – Dwarka, Dwarka Mor, Dwarka Sector 9, Dwarka Sector 11, Dwarka Sector 21, Janakpuri West and the Uttam Nagar West and Uttam Nagar East stations. In accordance with DMRC’s plans, 86 more e-autos will be added across Metro stations in Dwarka by the end of the year. A total of 663 more autos are to be added across other Metro stations in Delhi by the end of the year, officials added.

Ashish Kundra, principal secretary, Delhi government, said, “This is a great beginning, where the transport department has partnered with DMRC and a fleet aggregator to achieve twin objectives -- promoting electric mobility and ensuring robust neighbourhood connectivity for Metro stations. We will intensify our collaboration in the coming weeks and scale it up in other locations soon.”