Gurugram: Jio-bp and DRIVN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore charging solutions for commercial electric vehicles across India, with a focus on buses and trucks that need dependable charging access along cities, highways and priority transport corridors.
Jio-bp, the operating brand of Reliance BP Mobility Limited, a joint venture of Reliance Industries and bp, said the partnership will bring together its EV charging network and DRIVN’s commercial EV leasing capabilities to support fleet operators transitioning to electric mobility.
The collaboration is aimed at addressing one of the most practical challenges in commercial electrification: ensuring that chargers are available not just somewhere, but where fleet vehicles actually operate. For buses and trucks, a charger in the wrong place can be about as useful as a tea stall on the wrong highway.
According to the companies, the MoU will explore integrating Jio-bp’s charging network with DRIVN’s leasing platform. This may include improved charging-location discoverability for fleet drivers, preferential tariffs and turnkey EV charging projects across identified cities and highways.
Jio-bp said it has developed one of India’s largest fast EV charging networks, with a focus on electric buses and trucks. These segments are aligned with the objectives of India’s PM E-DRIVE initiative. The company said it has electrified priority pan-India corridors and locations to support commercial EV operations.
DRIVN, an electric vehicle leasing platform, focuses on accelerating the adoption of commercial EVs. The company acquires, owns and leases electric buses and trucks, while also working on charging infrastructure planning, battery lifecycle management, fleet operations and end-of-life solutions.
Commenting on the partnership, Alpna Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, DRIVN, said:
“As commercial EVs become a larger part of fleet operations, charging infrastructure has to keep pace with where and how these vehicles are used. For buses and trucks, the location of a charger and the route it serves can directly affect operations. Our MoU with Jio-bp gives us an opportunity to address these requirements as we expand our commercial EV business and make charging infrastructure easier for fleet operators to find and use. This partnership is first of many and a decisive step towards building the ecosystem required to make electric mobility more scalable and commercially viable.”
Sarthak Behuria, Chairman, Jio-bp, said:
“India’s transition to electric mobility is no longer a question, it is happening quickly. At the heart of this transformation are commercial fleets — buses and trucks that keep our people, cargo, and economy moving every day, often covering the longest distances and the toughest routes. At Jio-bp, we believe EV charging infrastructure is a critical part of national infrastructure and our partnership with DRIVN marks an important step towards building the charging backbone needed to cater to the demands of this transition.”
Akshay Wadhwa, CEO, Jio-bp, said the collaboration would help the company sharpen its focus on commercial fleet requirements.
“Jio-bp pulse has been built on a simple promise — accessible, reliable, high-uptime EV charging wherever needed. With DRIVN, we are further strengthening our focus on commercial fleets, which have distinct needs shaped by routes, battery capacities and operating patterns. This MoU lets us address those needs directly, while exploring practical charging and financing solutions for fleet operators. Together, we aim to make reliable charging more accessible for electric buses and trucks.”
The partnership is expected to focus on charging solutions built around the operational needs of electric buses and trucks, including route planning, battery capacities and fleet operating patterns. Unlike passenger EVs, commercial vehicles typically run on tighter schedules, heavier utilisation and longer routes, making charging reliability central to business viability.
The companies will also explore practical charging and financing solutions for fleet operators. These efforts could support intercity transport operators, logistics providers and asset-heavy industries that are evaluating or already transitioning to electric fleets.
DRIVN follows an OEM-agnostic approach and serves sectors such as intercity bus transportation, logistics, ecommerce, cement and steel. The company said its proprietary platform and operating data help support asset utilisation, efficiency and performance for large fleets.
The MoU comes as India’s commercial EV ecosystem continues to move beyond early adoption and into questions of scale, economics and infrastructure readiness. For electric buses and trucks to become a routine part of India’s transport network, the charging backbone will need to be as dependable as the vehicles themselves.
