Panasonic launches first of its kind EV charging service for India

Initiates a project with electric mobility service providers’ SmartE and qQuick

Chennai, May 15, 2019: Panasonic, a diversified technology company, today announced the launch of first of its kind smart EV charging service in India - Nymbus. A futuristic charging service combines physical components such as charging stations, swap stations, on board charges, telematics systems and the virtual components like cloud service, analytics, intuitive dashboard, and artificial intelligence to deliver onestop solution. Nymbus, is a unique technology platform by Panasonic India’s concentrated R&D efforts, designed and developed to cater to the growing mobility market in India.

 

(L-R): Mr. Aishwarya Kachhal, Founder, qQuick, Mr. Yasumichi Murase, Director, Lastmile Hub, Panasonic, Mr. Manish Sharma, President & CEO Panasonic India, Mr. Atul Arya – Head Energy Systems Division, Panasonic India, Mr. Goldie Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, SmartE.

As part of the first phase, Panasonic has partnered with electric mobility service providers’ SmartE and qQuick, wherein Panasonic will be deploying the EV charging service on 150 SmartE electric three wheelers and on 25 qQuick 2 wheelers in the Delhi NCR region.

The solution is poised to help individual EV users, EV fleet owners, e commerce & logistics companies to manage their fleet more efficiently and also the utility providers, vehicle, equipment and battery manufacturers to understand the user patterns and calibrate the products and services accordingly.

The service comes equipped with telematics sensors on the vehicles, allowing users to generate real time data and reports from continuous operation thus enabling them to use their fleet in the most efficient way. Built to learn and gain intelligence over time, the systems are poised to assist the fleet managers in monitoring and managing the entire fleet such as finding out the efficiency of different li-ion battery packs, avoiding unnecessary charge trips due to lack of charging and real-time data, monitoring of vehicle data usage etc. The cloud and app service also allows EV and fleet owners to easily search and navigate the nearest charging point, thus reducing logistical challenges.

Mr. Manish Sharma, President & CEO Panasonic India said, “At Panasonic, our unending quest for innovation, guided by our philosophy of A Better Life, A Better World, inspired us to take the lead and develop this innovative EV charging solution. With the launch of the EV charging service, Panasonic for the first time is venturing into service domain in energy and eMobility we are creating an integrated common platform to cater to unsatiated needs of multiple stakeholders and enable faster adoption of EV in the country.”

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Atul Arya – Head Energy Systems Division, Panasonic India said, “Conceptualized and developed in-house, our charging service is currently meant for two and three wheelers, but we aim to expand that in the near future to other vehicles. We have currently deployed our solutions in Delhi NCR and aim to expand the offerings to Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Amaravati in the next three years and 25 more cities in the next five years (catering to) targeting approximately 1 million vehicles.”

Mr. Goldie Srivastava, Co-Founder and CEO, SmartE said, “We are delighted to associate with Panasonic and have their charging solutions deployed for our electric vehicles. Panasonic’s technology enabled charging service would not only help us optimize our charging infrastructure but also help achieve operational efficiencies through real time data generation. As India’s largest electric vehicle operator, we look forward to a continued association with Panasonic as we work towards the common goal of building sustainable mobility solutions for the country.”

Mr. Aishwarya Kachhal, Founder, qQuick said, “Our aim is to establish an integrated green mobility ecosystem for India. We are partnering with the best for making India the leader in green mobility. Panasonic is the global leader in EV solutions with its proven R&D capabilities and global experience. This partnership between qQuick and Panasonic will provide customers personal, accessible, affordable and green mobility. We look forward to establishing a long term relationship with Panasonic.”

About Panasonic India

Panasonic makes available in India & South Asia its wide range of consumer electronics, home appliances like LED & DVD players, Home Theatre Systems, Cameras, Camcorders, Car Audio Systems, Air Conditioners, Washing Machines, Refrigerators, Microwave Ovens, Automatic Cookers, Vacuum Cleaners  and an extensive range of system products including communication like Phones, High Definition Videoconferencing, Professional Audio Video products like Broadcast Cameras, Projectors and Displays, Business Solutions including Printers, Whiteboards and Security solutions. The company currently has a workforce of about 18,000 in India & South Asia. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand in India, please visit.

About SmartE:

SmartE is India’s first shared electric mobility service and is the largest electric vehicle operator in the country. It has served over 35 million commuters since its launch more than three years ago. Apart from building an ecosystem of partners in the electric mobility space, SmartE has also set up India’s largest EV charging infrastructure with a captive capacity to charge more than 800 vehicles concurrently. Currently operational in Delhi, Gurugram and Faridabad with a fleet of nearly 1000 vehicles on its platform, SmartE is looking to bring over 100,000 vehicles on its platform by 2023. For more details visit: www.getsmarte.in

About qQUICK

qQuick is India's first Integrated and Delhi's only electric scooter service. qQuick provides accessible, personal mobility around key locations of Delhi-NCR for increasing connectivity. The service is completely keyless, all that a customer needs is a mobile, digital payment account and a driving license. Helmets with hygiene caps are provided in the scooter boot. qQuick is founded by a Harvard Business School, alumnus, who wants to clean the air Delhi breathes. The double "q" in qQuick is to clean Delhi's air quickly.