Eternal rethinks 2030 EV delivery target as riders hit 12 lakh

Eternal is reworking its 2030 goal of a 100% electric delivery fleet. Kumar said the earlier deadline may not be achievable because operations had expanded considerably and the EV ecosystem is still evolving, confirming the reassessment through its Chief Sustainability Officer, Anjalli Ravi Kumar, in an interview with PTI.

The target was set when Zomato had about 1.5 lakh monthly active riders. That number now stands at 12 lakh across Zomato and Blinkit. "It doesn't look feasible because, beyond the penetration numbers, our business is also growing massively," Kumar said.

Why is Eternal pushing back its 2030 EV delivery target?

Two forces are at work, and they pull in the same direction.

The first is scale. A company that has to bring on roughly 30 lakh delivery partners a year to keep a base of 12 lakh monthly riders has a much harder logistics problem than it did when the target was written. Kumar framed the question plainly: whether 30 lakh people across 900 cities can all access an EV reliably. She said she cannot guarantee that today, and does not know when she can.

The second is supply. India's two-wheeler EV market is still small. Kumar said the market penetration was around 6-7% in the company's last estimate, made around December. Within Eternal's own fleet, 12-13% of partners were already using EVs, roughly double the market rate. That is a decent lead, but it is still a long way from 100%.

The company also has more vehicles to electrify than when the target was set. Hyperpure, the group's restaurant supplies arm, runs four-wheeler deliveries involving trucks and smaller commercial vehicles. Kumar said any new target has to cover the whole group, not individual businesses.

What does the EV math look like for a delivery partner?

Kumar noted that delivery partners "generally arrange their own vehicles." That makes electrification a financing question as much as an environmental one. Industry analysts note that an electric two-wheeler typically costs more upfront than a petrol scooter, even though its running cost per kilometre is lower.

Eternal is trying to close that gap through incentives rather than mandates. Under Zomato's equal-benefit policy, a partner on an EV is paid as much as one on a petrol vehicle, so the lower running cost stays with the rider. The company also lists rental options on its delivery partner app and runs an EV Bazaar to help riders compare models.

Kumar said the company is advocating worker-friendly EV policies, so that the shift to cleaner vehicles does not shut out people who cannot afford to buy one. That is a real tension for quick commerce, which depends on a large, low-cost rider pool. Push riders to buy EVs before the charging and financing ecosystem is ready, and you risk losing supply. Move too slowly, and you cede ground on operating costs and emissions.

What does this mean for quick commerce and last-mile operators?

Eternal's rethink is a useful signal for every operator planning an EV transition. The economics still favour electric over the life of a vehicle, and Kumar said electrification "still makes economic sense". But the pace is set by factors outside any one company's control.

Industry observers point to several factors that could shape the pace of adoption, though the sources for this article focus mainly on EV availability, government policy rollout and access and affordability:

• Charging access. Riders may need somewhere to charge between shifts, particularly in smaller cities, according to industry observers.
• Upfront cost and credit. Access to EV loans for gig workers remains a concern for industry observers.
• Vehicle supply. The range of models at the right price point for commercial use is still limited.
• Policy spread. State-level EV incentives vary, and national policy is still taking shape.

For a quick commerce operator, the practical lesson is to set fleet targets at the group level and tie them to the vehicles you actually control. Riders who own their scooters are not yours to switch. The ones you can influence are those you finance, rent to, or nudge through incentives.

Is a 2035 deadline likely?

Kumar did not commit to a specific date, saying the company is actively working towards one. "We are actively working towards a date," she said, adding that the timeline depends partly on whether EV policies have rolled out across the country sufficiently. She said the company is hopeful about 2035 but has to account for all its businesses.

We are still committed to electrifying the fleet. We are deeply committed to it because it still makes economic sense.

Analysis: that is a softer commitment than a public deadline. The signal is direction of travel, not a schedule.

What our tracker shows

Our brand directory lists Eternal under Ecommerce & Marketplaces and Quick Commerce. WiseRetail's tracker logged one innovation entry in the last 12 months: Eternal deepened its OpenAI partnership to integrate AI across Zomato, Blinkit and District (18 February 2026). The tracker also logged Zomato's launch of PackSwitch, a tool to help restaurants adopt sustainable packaging (18 August 2026), an initiative Eternal has highlighted.

What to watch next

Three things will decide when Eternal names a new date. First, whether state EV policies converge enough to make a 2035 commitment defensible. Second, whether EV financing for gig riders improves, since that is the main barrier for partners who buy their own vehicles. Third, how quickly the company's own four-wheeler transport, especially Hyperpure, can be electrified. Until those move, expect the language to stay at "working towards a date".