Ikea deploys electric rickshaws in India
Ikea opened its first Indian store in Hyderabad last week.
And at least 20% of its delivery fleet will be electric rickshaws. The three-wheeled vehicles, which are used widely throughout India, will be charged at the store, running off of solar power harvested from 4,000 panels atop the building roof. Any excess energy gathered will be used for the likes of lighting.
The retailer has reportedly spent INR10 billion on the approximately 400,000 square feet store. It is one of the biggest foreign investments in the Indian home market, which is largely dominated by unorganised players.