Hyundai Motor Group and Grab Holdings Inc. have announced that it will expand their partnership to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the ASEAN region. The partnership will further develop new solutions that will lower the barrier of entry for Grab drivers and delivery partners to adopt EVs.

Based on the initial EV pilot in Singapore, some of the issues that are faced by the driver-partners from adopting EVs include high costs, lack of charging locations, and long waiting times for charging. Hence, the partnership will focus on addressing these barriers through leasing EVs and EV financing.

Also read: Singapore to invest SGD 30 mil for EVs, road tax structure to be revised

Both parties will also develop a joint EV roadmap to accelerate adoption in Southeast Asia. The pilot programs will begin in Singapore in 2021 before expanding to Indonesia and Vietnam.

Also read: Indonesian government to start using electric vehicles in 2021

Part of the roadmap development will see both Grab and Hyundai conducting an EV feasibility study. This is to gain a deeper understanding into the gaps and barriers to wider EV ownership and adoption, then translating the findings from the study into practical ways to further develop the EV ecosystem.

Grab and Hyundai’s partnership began in 2018 and their EV pilot programs are currently deployed in Singapore and Indonesia. The Singaporean pilot program saw the deployment of 200 Hyundai Kona EVs in the GrabRentals fleet while the Indonesian program saw a fleet of Hyundai Ioniqs under the GrabCar Elektrik program.

Also read: Indonesia leads SEA in EV adoption, research by Nissan suggests

Grab has also supported EV-related initiatives of governments in Southeast Asia including partnering with SP Group, Singapore’s largest government-owned electricity and gas distributor, and launching the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem Roadmap in Indonesia.

Also read: While Malaysia dithers, Thailand and Indonesia have overtaken Malaysia in EV race