Post by : Meena Rani
On 14 October 2025, a groundbreaking global alliance was launched in Dubai: the Deliver-E Coalition, an industry-led initiative to accelerate the shift to zero-emission last-mile deliveries. Spearheaded by leading food and grocery delivery platforms including Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Wolt, iFood, Delivery Hero, DoorDash, and others, the coalition pledges to transition two- and three-wheeler fleets to electric, bikes, or other emission-free modes. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will host the coalition’s secretariat, facilitating research, coordination, and progress tracking.
As cities grapple with traffic, pollution, and congestion tied to rapid e-commerce growth, Deliver-E aims to provide a shared roadmap, leveraging collaboration, technology, and policy alignment to decarbonize urban logistics.
In this article, we will examine:
The motivation behind Deliver-E in the context of urban mobility
The structure, goals, and founding members
Challenges in electrifying last-mile delivery
Impacts on cities, delivery ecosystems, and sustainability
Outlook and what this means for India, UAE, and other markets
The growth of online shopping and rapid delivery models has caused exponential increases in the number of last-mile delivery trips in cities globally. Many of these are powered by internal-combustion two- and three-wheeler vehicles, contributing significantly to urban air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion, and noise.
Without urgent intervention, estimates suggest urban delivery emissions could rise by over 30% in top 100 cities.
Delivery vehicles often ply dense neighborhoods, inner-city zones, and residential areas. Their emissions (NOx, PM, CO₂) impact ambient air quality and public health. Noise from engines and loading/unloading adds to urban stress. Electrifying this segment yields direct public health and livability benefits.
Switching to electric two- and three-wheelers offers operational cost advantages—lower fuel, maintenance, and smoother operation. Some studies indicate cost reductions in the range of 25% or more compared to ICE vehicles in deliveries.
Furthermore, EVs are quieter, have fewer moving parts, and align neatly with renewable energy charging infrastructure strategies.
One company’s electrification is hard. Barriers include procurement scale, charging infrastructure, policy, regulations, grid capacity, incentives, and fleet financing. A coalition allows shared learning, standards, aggregated procurement, advocacy, and addressing common challenges.
Thus, Deliver-E is not merely symbolic—it is intended as a coordinated push to overcome collective hurdles and accelerate a transition that no single participant could scale rapidly alone.
Deliver-E brings together major delivery and logistics platforms that operate across multiple countries:
Founding members include Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Wolt, DoorDash, iFood, Delivery Hero among others.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) acts as the secretariat, supporting coordination, research, progress tracking, and coalition operations.
The coalition also involves stakeholders such as OEMs (vehicle manufacturers), fleet aggregators, policy makers, charging providers, financiers, and technology firms.
The Deliver-E coalition’s charter outlines several commitments:
Rapid transition to zero-emission two- and three-wheeler deliveries (EVs, e-bikes, etc.).
Knowledge-sharing and best practices across regions, lowering replication friction.
Tracking and reporting progress via shared metrics and transparency.
Aligning efforts with policymakers, regulators, and local governments to create supportive environments (incentives, subsidies, regulatory levers).
Addressing common obstacles like vehicle availability, charging infrastructure, interoperability, financing, and scalability.
The coalition plans to operate with periodic reporting, working groups, regional pilots, and collaborative programs.
On the same day of the launch, Zomato officially joined the coalition, committing to adopt zero-emission vehicles and align with coalition goals.
This reflects how local players are already gearing for change, bringing the global coalition into domestic markets (India, UAE, etc.).
While ambition is high, practical rollout faces multiple challenges. Below are key bottlenecks and how coalition efforts might mitigate them.
Electric two- and three-wheeler vehicles, though falling in cost, often still carry a premium over ICE equivalents.
Supply chain, battery availability, and OEM commitment vary regionally.
Deliver-E aims to coordinate bulk procurement, aggregate demand, and standardization to reduce cost barriers.
Delivery fleets require high-density, fast-charging or battery-swapping solutions across urban nodes.
Grid upgrades, load management, and charger placement logistics are complex.
Collaboration with utilities, governments, and local infrastructure players will be essential.
Fleet owners may lack capital to replace ICE vehicles.
Leasing, subsidies, incentives, or battery-as-service models may need to be developed to reduce upfront costs.
Coalition can help establish financing frameworks, risk instruments, and subsidies.
Real-world range under load, degradation, and availability of spares are concerns.
Ensuring uptime and reliability is critical for delivery operations with tight time windows.
Incentives, subsidies, import duties, vehicle registration rules, and permissive charging policy vary across jurisdictions.
The coalition must advocate for consistent and supportive regulations.
Policy misalignment or regulatory inertia can stall uptake.
Mechanics, technicians, battery servicing infrastructure need upskilling and scaling.
Standardizing battery packs, modules, interoperability across OEMs helps maintenance.
Some delivery models may resist change if EVs cannot match speed or uptime.
Users and platforms may require assurances, incentives, or trial periods.
Deliver-E’s shared learning, pilots, regional coordination, and aggregated resources are key mechanisms to overcome many of these.
Replacing ICE delivery fleets with zero-emission vehicles directly improves air quality, especially in dense urban corridors and residential neighborhoods. Lower NOx, particulate matter, and CO₂ contribute to public health improvements.
Optimized delivery fleets with cleaner drivetrains reduce fuel consumption and operational inefficiencies. In aggregate, cities may see fewer emissions and noise pollution, especially during peak delivery hours.
Last-mile logistics is a critical component of urban mobility. A cleaner, quieter delivery network reduces interference with passenger traffic and improves urban mobility experience.
Studies indicate that electrification can boost gig worker incomes: e-vehicle operational costs are lower, helping margins. In India, a CII-Prosus report finds adoption could raise incomes of gig workers by ~18%.
Moreover, new jobs will arise in EV service, charging infrastructure, battery swapping, and fleet management.
Cities, developers, and investors see that urban logistics is part of infrastructure planning, not a fringe issue. Real estate near “clean delivery corridors,” charging hubs, or micro-fulfillment centers may attract premium valuation as green logistics becomes a value driver.
India was among founding markets with platforms like Swiggy participating in Deliver-E.
Zomato’s entry in the coalition is significant.
India’s massive two-/three-wheeler delivery sector (for food, groceries, e-commerce) makes it a high-impact environment for electrification.
Existing studies and reports (such as the CII-Prosus study) already support quantifiable benefits.
Launching the coalition in Dubai gives it symbolic weight and positions the UAE as a hub for green logistics.
Dubai’s strong digital infrastructure, climate policies, and smart city ambitions provide fertile ground for scaling deployment.
Local adoption, incentives, and regulatory support will determine how quickly the coalition’s goals manifest on ground in Dubai / UAE.
Regional Pilot Launches
Coalition members are likely to initiate pilot cities (possibly Dubai, Mumbai, Bangalore) to test EV deliveries at scale.
Fleet Transition Commitments
Platforms may announce target years for full electrification or EV share quotas.
Charging & Infrastructure Rollouts
Partnerships with EV charger firms, governments, utilities to deploy urban charging networks.
Policies & Incentives
City or state-level governments may issue subsidy schemes, incentives, import duty waivers, or EV-friendly regulations.
Progress Reporting & Metrics
Deliver-E’s first periodic reports will provide transparency on adoption rates, emission reductions, costs, and challenges.
Shared Platforms & Standards
Standardization in battery modules, charger types, interoperability, shared data frameworks will emerge.
The Deliver-E Coalition, launched on 14 October 2025 in Dubai, is a pivotal moment in the evolution of urban mobility and green logistics. By uniting global delivery giants, UNEP, OEMs, financiers, and policymakers, the coalition aims to scale zero-emission deliveries in a coordinated, accelerated fashion.
For cities battling congestion, pollution, and delivery overload, this is a powerful lever. For platforms, it is a necessary transition to future-proof operations and reputation. For gig workers, it promises lower operating costs and steadier earnings.
Challenges are real — cost, infrastructure, policy, adoption — but synergy, scale, and shared vision give Deliver-E a fighting chance to transform last-mile delivery globally.
Deliver-E Coalition, zero emission deliveries, last-mile logistics, urban mobility, electric vehicles, sustainable transport
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