The Climate Pledge recently announced a new joint action project – JOULE (Joint Operation Unifying Last-mile Electrification) – with its signatories and industry partners to build a new network of shared electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Bengaluru, India.
Co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019, The Climate Pledge is a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
Pledge signatories and partners will collectively invest over US$2.65 million into the project by 2030. Amazon, Mahindra Logistics, Uber, HCLTech and Magenta Mobility will work together to optimise the usage of the EV charging stations, combining the charging needs of their EV fleets to ensure the infrastructure is well utilised.
Industry partner Kazam, an India-based EV charging platform, will build a network of shared charging stations. The project will also be supported by a renewable energy provider Greenko and strategic consulting partner Deloitte.
“Together with the Pledge signatories, we are proud to launch this joint action initiative which will support India’s transition to electric vehicles, including Bengaluru’s goal of having 100% EVs for three-wheelers, cab services, and corporate fleets by 2030,” said Sally Fouts, Global Leader, The Climate Pledge.
“This project not only addresses some of the current challenges in India’s charging infrastructure to support greater electric vehicle adoption but also sets a new standard for corporate climate collaboration.”
As part of this project, the first EV charging station located at Doddakallasandra is fully operational and the project aims to build five more charging stations in Bengaluru by the end of this year, with plans to further expand to meet the growing demand for local EV infrastructure.
While the project is estimated to support about 5,500 EVs in Bengaluru by 2030 (based on expected demand), it can service about 9,500 EVs at full capacity. To maximize utilisation, the infrastructure will also be available for other companies to charge their fleet vehicles during the day.
All of the electricity used by the charging stations (projected to reach 22,700 megawatt-hours of power) will be matched with 100% renewable energy, amounting to an estimated 6.2 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
By the same year, the project is also expected to save over 11.2 million litres of fuel and abate an estimated 25,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Beyond reducing tailpipe emissions, the project will create an estimated 185 full-time jobs in Bengaluru between 2024 to 2030.
