Blowhorn, a same-day delivery platform, announced a partnership to develop a sustainable, environment-friendly solution for the delivery of perishable goods in India. Under this association, Blowhorn, DENSO International India, a $45.1 billion global mobility supplier, and automobile major Honda will address the issue of safe and secure delivery of food, grocery, and pharmaceuticals in India.
The trio is running the pilot program in Bangalore. The project aims to facilitate sustainable and eco-friendly delivery methods that do not rely on unsustainable solutions like thermal insulation bags, dry ice, or other temporary arrangements.
Blowhorn will evaluate the project's efficiency from fuel cost, vehicle maintenance, and the life of delivered products to hasten the goal of transitioning to a 100 per cent clean fleet by 2025.
Mithun Srivatsa, co-founder and CEO of Blowhorn, said, "We are excited to partner with Denso and Honda to kickstart the next revolution in swappable electric vehicles and cold chains to accelerate efficient, safe and secure same-day EV deliveries. At Blowhorn, we are committed to driving the clean fuel mobility ecosystem through partnerships and are working towards converting our entire fleet to clean fuels by 2025."
Incidentally, Blowhorn previously collaborated to test DENSO's cold storage infrastructure designed for commercial vehicles. Now, the two companies are partnering again to develop a permanent solution for delivering perishable goods.
Honda is providing electric bikes with a battery-swapping system for the project, which allows riders to replace a depleted battery with a fully charged one in a minute at petrol stations and metro stations. This approach has a higher potential for EV adoption, as it does not require users to change their behaviour and purchase batteries.
Vehicles with swapping batteries are an innovative approach and have a better chance of adoption because they do not change user behaviour. Users can quickly get batteries with a full charge in a minute at petrol bunks, similar to how ICE drivers are refueling now.
With a self-operated network of asset-light warehouses, transportation and technology integrated, Blowhorn powers 7.5 million deliveries across 100 cities monthly and claims that all deliveries are completed within 24 hours. Its investors include Chiratae Ventures, Draper Associates, MSDF, Symphony International Holdings Limited and Venture Catalysts.