Lithium Urban Technologies (Lithium)

Lithium Urban Technologies is a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) provider specializing in sustainable corporate transportation solutions. Founded in 2014 by Sanjay Krishnan and Ashwin Mahesh, the company launched its services in Bengaluru, India, in 2015 as the country's first transport service with a 100% electric vehicle fleet. Krishnan, who serves as CEO, co-founded the venture based on the projection that hydrocarbon availability would decrease while the cost of renewable energy would fall, making commercial electric mobility a viable business. He had previous experience in the taxi-cab industry, which highlighted that fuel accounted for 50% of variable transportation costs.

The company's business model is primarily B2B, focusing on providing corporate employee transport. This focus on a specific market segment allowed Lithium to address the variables that favored electric mobility, such as predictable routes and high daily mileage, which makes the lower operating cost of EVs economically advantageous. Lithium's integrated offering includes the electric vehicle fleet, trained drivers, charging infrastructure, and a proprietary technology platform that manages fleet operations. The company owns and operates its fleet and one of India's largest fast-charging networks, which is powered by renewable energy. This vertical integration allows them to offer services at a fixed budget, eliminating fuel price escalations and capital expenditure for their clients.

The core of Lithium's operation is its technology platform, which uses telematics and algorithms for scheduling, routing, fleet management, and analytics-based optimization. This system connects the vehicles, charging network, and drivers to ensure efficiency, transparency, and safety. The company has expanded its services to include business travel (LeChal), freight services (QuickLi), charging infrastructure (LiON), and a full-stack SaaS platform for EV fleet management. Serving over 55 corporate clients, including Google, Accenture, and Uber, Lithium operates a fleet of over 3,000 EVs across more than 19 cities in India and has covered over 350 million electric kilometers.

Keywords: electric mobility, corporate transportation, EV fleet management, MaaS, charging infrastructure, sustainable mobility, B2B transport, fleet management software, employee transport solutions, electric vehicles, renewable energy charging, urban mobility, Sanjay Krishnan, telematics, routing algorithms, freight services, last-mile delivery, business travel solutions, SaaS platform, asset management