Blackstone-backed Nexus Malls, Jio-bp partner to set up EV charging, swapping infrastructure

Nexus Malls, the retail portfolio arm of the Blackstone Group, has announced on Wednesday its association with Jio-bp, a fuel and mobility joint venture between RIL and bp, for the roll-out of "state-of-the-art" EV charging stations and battery swapping stations across their portfolio of 17 malls across 13 cities.

The JV, in an official statement, stated that it is creating an ecosystem that will benefit all the stakeholders in the EV value chain. It added that last year Jio-bp constructed and launched two of India's largest EV charging hubs.

As part of this partnership, Nexus Malls will be installed with 24x7 charging infrastructure for two and four-wheeler EVs. In the first phase, these charging stations will be available at Nexus malls in Navi Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad from June 2022.

To accelerate EV adoption, Nexus will encourage the company's customers to charge vehicles at their malls amongst other environmentally conscious initiatives. 

During the pandemic, Nexus Malls have taken several measures to reassure the customers of their safety and hygiene on the premises of the malls. This in turn has resulted in the fastest business recoveries in the industry and made the malls the most preferred destinations in their respective cities, explained the firm, 

The JV's electric mobility business, offering charging infrastructure to Indian consumers, operates under the brand Jio-bp pulse. 

"With the Jio-bp pulse mobile app, customers can easily find charging stations nearby and charge their EVs. Leveraging the best of RIL and bp's strengths in electrification, the company is creating a charging ecosystem that will benefit all the stakeholders in the EV value chain," noted the JV. 

Reliance BP Mobility Ltd (RBML) launched its first Jio-bp branded mobility station at Navde, Navi Mumbai, in Maharashtra last year. In January 2022, the JV opened one of the country's largest EV charging hubs in Delhi, as the duo scale up the fuel retail network, offering multiple fuel choices including EV charging infrastructure.

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