Que: How does Yulu's technology stack compare to other players in the shared electric mobility space?

Ans: If you look at the shared electric mobility industry, it is full of unorganised and smaller players. Here, Yulu stands out for successfully building an integrated and scalable technology stack for shared electric mobility. Our mission is to improve mobility by making it widely accessible, affordable, smart and sustainable — and for this, we could not have relied on generic ‘off the shelf’ solutions. So, a few years ago we started the journey of building our own tech stack, which has been a key factor behind our market leadership and ability to win the trust of our users and partners.

To give you an overview, Yulu’s tech stack integrates our IoT-enabled purpose-built electric vehicles (EVs), our AI-enabled fleet management system, and our advanced data science platform. Along with this, Yulu has built a suite of mobile and web applications that serve as interfaces with our customers, field teams and others. Working together, these elements of the tech stack have shaped Yulu’s purpose-built, intelligent, intuitive and customer-centric offering.

For example, our EVs can be accessed and used through a simple smartphone app. We also use machine learning to predict important parameters like user demand or to spot potential issues, and prioritise repair and maintenance. This ensures users always have access to a charged and well-serviced EV when they need one. Our systems are also tightly knit with that of our associate Yuma Energy, one of India’s leading battery-as-a-service (BaaS) players. As a result, Yulu users can book a battery swap in advance when their charge runs low, providing assurance of battery availability and alleviating range anxiety. Thus, Yulu’s technology stack helps us to drive innovation, affordability, and convenience in the shared mobility space on multiple fronts.

Que: What challenges did Yulu face in developing its proprietary software for fleet management and user interface and how does it tackle the challenges of integrating Yulu’s technology with the existing urban infrastructure?

Ans: Building a homegrown software stack came with its unique set of challenges. The first challenge lay in identifying the technological components that align with Yulu’s vision. When we launched Yulu, we were creating a new category in India. Thus, there was no tailormade solution that we could have bought. Yulu had to thoroughly evaluate existing industry-standard technologies, identify the closest matches, and then build upon them in-house.

Secondly, it wasn’t enough to merely match the industry standard. We also needed to develop market-leading features related to security, connectivity, tracking, analytics, pricing, interface design and more, as these would make our service smart, reliable and scalable and also deter any emerging competition. Running both these activities in parallel was neither easy nor an overnight task. However, backed by a powerful vision and an extraordinary team, Yulu successfully overcame all these challenges one after the other.

Today, Yulu’s service has achieved product-market fit for different use cases, from quick commerce deliveries and hyperlocal commutes to leisure rides. This has enabled us to address the constraints associated with traditional urban transport – such as safety, availability, accessibility, fuel costs, and emissions – through a mix of technology and deep stakeholder partnerships.

Que: What technologies are you exploring to enhance the energy density and longevity of your EV batteries?

Ans: Yulu’s EVs are powered by batteries from Yuma Energy, one of India’s largest battery-as-a-service (BaaS) companies. Yuma’s batteries are designed to improve passenger and vehicle safety while maximising vehicle lifespan.

Que: Can you provide insights into how Yulu is leveraging IoT for better fleet management?

Ans: Ensuring high vehicle uptime is not easy when you have over 45,000 EVs on the road. Fortunately, connected vehicles equipped with IoT and telematics systems are goldmines of user and riding data. Yulu’s EVs are ridden over lakhs of kilometres daily, and generate huge volumes of valuable information that we leverage to ensure better safety, performance and value for our customers. Let me give you a few examples.

The use of IoT-enabled smart components helps Yulu detect potential software or hardware issues before they impact users. In a large number of cases, these issues can be proactively resolved through remote over-the-air (OTA) updates without having to bring the respective vehicle back to a workshop. This minimises downtime and ensures a smooth, hassle-free ride for customers and cost-efficiency for the company. Yulu also leverages real-time insights from its smart EVs and IoT-enabled systems to relocate vehicles to high-demand areas and improve service quality.

In addition to Yulu’s cloud servers, the IoT systems also digitally communicate with user’s smartphones. For example, if a user strays outside an operational zone, they get an IVR call and app-based warnings/nudges requesting them to ride back into Yulu’s operational zone. If these warnings are not heeded, the EV may even be gradually immobilised to ensure safety.

Que: Could you discuss the security measures implemented to protect user data and prevent unauthorized access to vehicles?

Ans: Yulu’s app-based, keyless electric mobility service is underpinned by robust security measures that protect user data and ensure that vehicle access is granted only to authorised individuals. Every interaction between a user, the Yulu app, and the vehicle involves three-way encrypted communication between the user’s device, the EV’s telematics system, and Yulu’s secure servers. Before unlocking a vehicle, several conditions are verified: the EV’s availability, battery status, the user’s account validity, and whether he/she has any pending dues. Once all these are validated, Yulu’s servers generate a virtual key, securely transmitted to the app to unlock the EV.

During the ride, the app and vehicle maintain a Bluetooth-secured connection, ensuring the vehicle remains linked to the authorised user. This not only enhances security but also prevents unauthorised access by any third party during the trip.
In the Yulu Wynn, which is designed for personal ownership, Yulu offers an additional remote key-sharing feature. Vehicle owners can securely share access with registered friends or family members. The system verifies the recipient’s credentials before granting temporary access, ensuring that even shared access adheres to stringent security protocols.

Our focus on operational security extends beyond EVs. In every city, Yulu has designated operational zones which restrict EV usage to areas where service quality can be maintained. This prevents vehicles from being stranded in non-serviceable locations and improves user experience and asset security.

Que: What are the next technological frontiers Yulu is aiming to explore in the near future?

Ans: As an e-mobility leader, Yulu keeps innovating to make our cities more liveable by addressing issues like rising CO2 emissions and traffic congestion. We believe that technology has a big role to play in making intra-city deliveries and commutes greener.

On the product side, Yulu is launching a mid-speed electric two-wheeler that has a top speed of 45 kmph. This EV will support applications like bike taxis, e-commerce and courier deliveries, long-distance food orders, and higher-payload goods transport. As the digital commerce space evolves, we capitalise on open networks like ONDC, which we believe will unlock new earning opportunities for delivery partners across the country.

Yulu is also excited about the potential of emerging technologies like AI/ML and Generative AI (GenAI), and is actively working on bringing these future technologies for building better user-centric solutions and predictive analytics for mobility.