Uber announced the five winners of the Green Mobility Innovation Challenge, its partnership with the Government, in support of ideas to help drive the adoption of electric vehicles across the country. The winning startups are, Bodycast Innovators Pvt. Ltd. Virya Batteries Pvt. Ltd., Racenergy, Kazam EV Tech Pvt. Ltd., and Emuron Technologies.
Run in partnership with Startup India, the Indian government’s online support portal for entrepreneurs and startup incubator iCreate, the challenge attracted more than 150 entries from innovators and startups from across the country.
The winners will receive a grant of INR 7.5 Million from Uber to develop their ideas, along with six months business incubation at iCreate. The Runners-up shall also be eligible to receive two months of incubation, mentorship support by Uber’s leaders, access to labs, and co-working spaces at iCreate.
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, delivered the keynote address at the event and Shruti Singh, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, delivered context setting remarks.
The five member Grand Jury for the final round comprised industry experts Mahua Acharya, CEO, CESL; Prof. Anadi Saran Pande, Head of Enterprise Incubation Centre, IIM-Lucknow; Anupam Jalote, CEO, iCreate; Nandini Maheshwari, Senior Director & Head of Asia Pacific Business Development, Uber; and Venkatesh Kancharla, Director, Engineering, Uber.
Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said, “Organizations which are green will prosper and progress in future. It is important for everyone to reduce their carbon footprint, and that is what Uber is doing by promoting startups in the EV space. I would like to congratulate the winners and wish them success in the future”
Commenting on the Challenge, Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India South Asia, said, “As the world’s leading mobility platform, Uber has a bold 2040 target to ensure 100% of its rides globally on zero-emission vehicles or through micro-mobility and public transit. Hitting that goal in India won’t be easy, but we are determined to get there in partnership with the many brilliant Indian startups already working in the EV space and the government. We believe it’s still very early and various technologies have to be supported. That is why we are working with various OEMs, battery and charging infra players, across two, three, and four-wheeled products. Through the Challenge, we are going even closer to the hub of innovations and we’ll look forward to leveraging our fast-growing and nationwide platform to bring them to scale.“
Anupam Jalote, CEO, iCreate said, “We are proud to be the incubation partner for Uber’s Green Mobility Innovation Challenge and we look forward to welcoming the winners to our campus. With electric vehicles as a key focus area for iCreate, our vision is to address key challenges in the EV industry in India, using the power of innovation. I was heartened to see the participants here demonstrate a radical and creative approach to problem statements and I am confident that their ideas will convert into meaningful solutions for the EV industry during their incubation period at iCreate”
The Uber Green Mobility Innovation Challenge focused on innovations in two and three-wheelers, the accessibility of charging stations and their ease of use, as well as potential partnership or financial models that can improve EV uptake in India. Uber is supporting innovations to enable the EV ecosystem with two broad themes.
- Helping domestic auto manufacturers get their EV products to the market, especially two-wheelers and three-wheelers. Product innovation to improve battery life and address ‘range anxiety’.
- Partnership models for improving uptake of EVs in transportation and shared mobility.
