EKA Mobility, a leading electric vehicles and technology company based in India, has announced a partnership with Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Netherlands-based industrial and manufacturing company VDL Groep to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs).

Under the cooperation, EKA Mobility, known for its cutting-edge electric vehicles and comprehensive EV ecosystem, will receive significant and strategic investments from Mitsui, and technological support & equity partnership from VDL Groep, the trio said in a statement on Wednesday.

The combined expertise and resources of the three entities will usher in a new era of sustainable transportation and manufacturing excellence.

According to the statement, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. will make significant financial investments in EKA Mobility, enabling the company to scale up its manufacturing operations and expand its product portfolio.

Mitsui will also provide support to EKA for exports to select emerging markets as well as establishment of systems & process.

As part of this partnership, VDL Bus & Coach, a subsidiary of VDL Groep and Europe’s frontrunner in electric buses and coaches will support EKA Mobility by transfer of technology to produce electric buses in India for the Indian market.

This strategic cooperation also marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the Indian automotive industry, propelling India toward becoming a global hub for sustainable transportation.

The alliance is set to establish most cutting-edge global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the region.

It is noted that this is one of the largest and most significant partnerships in the new mobility segment in India bringing together the strengths and expertise of three leading automotive conglomerates in Asia and Europe to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative electric mobility solutions globally.

The alliance is firmly aligned with the Indian government’s ‘Make in India‘ initiative, aimed at promoting local manufacturing and job creation.

The cooperation also emphasizes a commitment to sustainability and environment conscious mobility solutions, furthering the reduction of carbon footprints.“

This partnership with Mitsui and VDL Groep represents a significant step toward making India a global hub for electric vehicle manufacturing,“We are proud to join forces with such distinguished partners who share our vision of sustainable, profitable & efficient transportation,” said Dr. Sudhir Mehta, Founder and Chairman of EKA Mobility.

Meanwhile, Nobuyoshi Umezawa, General Manager of Mobility Business Division in Mitsui & Co. India, said that through the cooperation of EKA, VDL, and Mitsui, they aim to contribute to ‘Make in India‘ by leveraging EKA’s excellent engineering and local network, and VDL’s cutting-edge technological capabilities.“

Furthermore, we would like to utilize our Mitsui’s global network to promote exporting EKA’s competitive products to overseas markets and contribute to creating eco-friendly societies,” he added.

Rolf-Jan Zweep, Chief Executive Officer of VDL Bus & Coach, said that they are delighted to partner with EKA Mobility and Mitsui.“

Although the basis of our high-quality development and manufacturing competences lie in north-western Europe, we see many opportunities in India, which is obviously a promising growth market,“With this cooperation, we foresee especially many synergy benefits in the areas of procurement and development,” he added.

EKA Mobility is one of the commercial vehicle manufacturers approved under the Champion OEM Scheme & EV component manufacturing scheme of the Government of India’s Auto PLI policy.

EKA is the only Indian company offering end-to-end design, manufacturing & technology of new energy vehicles from scratch in India.The company has set up a state-of-the-art research, development, engineering and innovation center in Pune, Maharashtra, and has significantly grown its order book, with more than 500 electric buses and 5000+ electric light commercial vehicle orders in the pipeline.

All these vehicles will be completely designed and manufactured in India, at EKA’s proposed state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

In the last two years, the company has introduced electric city bus, staff carrier & school bus, 9 meter hydrogen fuel-cell electric bus, and is now all set to enter the last mile delivery with its range of e-LCVs designed and customized to suit Indian customers and businesses.

VDL Groep is an international industrial family business with its head office in the Eindhoven Brainport region in the Netherlands.It was founded in 1953 and now, 70 years later, the third Van der Leegte family generation has been at the group’s helm since 2017.

VDL Groep has over 16,000 employees and operates in 19 countries.The group comprises more than 100 operating companies, and the activities of these companies can be summarised in the hightech, mobility, energy, infratech and foodtech.