Ikea opens in India with EVs and solar panels
Swedish furniture maker Ikea has opened their first store in India as planned. The centre in Hyderabad offers electric vehicles in their delivery fleet and uses solar power. Their targets to deepen their green stance are ambitious.
Not only will Ikea have to convince Indian consumers that assembling furniture yourself is the best way of life. They also want to make an ecological impression starting with a delivery fleet that is to consist of 20 percent electric vehicles over the course of one year after opening. Moreover, 4,000 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Ikea store in Hyderabad.
At the launch, Ikea India CEO Peter Betzel said: “We are not opening a store, we’re opening a country.” Indeed the Swedes are planning stores in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi in the coming years.
IKEA is part of the EV100 initiative by The Climate Group to make electric transport the new normal by 2030. Under this commitment, the company has already installed EV charging stations at half of its global stores. This means India is only one of a total of 30 countries where Ikea wants to electrify their fleets and the group expects the same from partner companies responsible for its deliveries. Additionally, Ikea wants to equip every store with charging stations for employees as well as for clients (we reported).
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