Wipro and State Bank of India (SBI) will transition their fleets to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.
With this, Wipro, a leading IT services company, and SBI, a leading public sector bank in India, are becoming the first major Indian businesses to join The Climate Group’s global EV initiative, EV100, for accelerating the roll-out of EVs worldwide.
A statement from The Climate Group said 18 members of EV100 from a range of sectors, committed to switching to EVs across their operations globally.
Wipro will begin rolling out its plan in the Indian cities of Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, involving nearly 2,000 vehicles, before addressing international markets. Wipro aims to scale up the use of EVs to 500 in the next three years and 1,000 by 2023.
SBI, which has a network of more than 22,000 branches across India and 206 overseas offices, will transition its vehicle fleet to EVs in major cities by 2030. SBI will also set up charging stations in major residential spaces to support the uptake of EVs by staff.
According to India Government’s National E-Mobility Program announced last month, the center will purchase 20,000 government electric vehicles. This is in line with India’s most recent stated ambition of ensuring that 30 percent of all vehicles on the road are electric by 2030.
Through EV100, businesses can help increase demand for EVs and improve the availability of charging infrastructure – currently a significant barrier to EV adoption in India.
Jarnail Singh, India Director, The Climate Group said, “We expect many more companies to follow their lead, joining hands with the government to bring about a faster roll-out of electric vehicles, boosting low-carbon economic development for all.”
Wipro has already leased around 50 EVs in Hyderabad and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Wipro has launched corporate vehicle ownership and lease programs, and installed charging points at all its major facilities in India.