HPCL and Tata Motors Partner to Pilot Scalable Recycling of Used Automotive Lubricants, Advancing India’s Circular Economy Goals

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Maharatna Oil Marketing Company, and Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pilot a structured and scalable model for the responsible collection and recycling of used automotive lubricants.

This collaboration brings together the complementary strengths of two leading Indian organisations to address a critical sustainability challenge, while supporting compliance with India’s evolving Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and advancing the country’s circular economy goals.

The initiative aims to establish an organized and traceable system for managing used lubricants—classified as hazardous waste, from collection and storage to recycling. The process will enable conversion into high-quality re-refined base oil, improving resource efficiency and reducing environmental risk. The pilot is expected to set new benchmarks for responsible waste management and support India’s transition towards a circular, resource-efficient economy.

Launching the pilot, Mr. Ch Srinivas, Executive Director – Lubes, HPCL, said: “Achieving true circularity in used oil begins with reintegrating re-refined base oil into finished lubricants. Our collaboration with Tata Motors is a significant step towards building a scalable model for used oil circularity and reducing the carbon footprint across operations.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Vikram Agrawal, Head – Parts and Services, Tata Motors Ltd., said, “Used automotive lubricant, if not handled responsibly, can cause long‑term environmental harm. Addressing this challenge calls for credible partners, clear processes and the ability to operate at scale. HPCL has been a trusted partner to Tata Motors across multiple dimensions, and this collaboration allows us to take a meaningful step towards organised and responsible recycling. With the combined strengths of both organisations, we believe this pilot can help establish a robust foundation for wider industry adoption.”

Under the partnership, HPCL will anchor the aggregation and transportation of used lubricants through authorised collection mechanisms, ensuring channelisation to registered recyclers. Tata Motors will leverage its extensive authorized service network to enable structured collection and promote responsible disposal practices across its ecosystem.

The pilot will be implemented across select states and governed by a joint committee comprising representatives from both organizations, responsible for monitoring progress and evaluating scalability.

As a holistic mobility solutions provider, Tata Motors complements its commercial vehicle portfolio with Sampoorna Seva 2.0, delivering end‑to‑end lifecycle solutions including assured turnaround times, annual maintenance contracts and access to genuine spare parts. These offerings are further strengthened by Fleet Edge, Tata Motors’ connected vehicle platform that enables data‑driven fleet optimisation and improved vehicle uptime. Tata Motors operates a network of over 4,500 sales and service touchpoints across India.

HEID and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) Start Operation of Battery Swap Service — Honda e:swap

Honda Power Pack Energy India Private Limited (HEID), Honda Motor Co., Ltd.’s subsidiary for battery swap service, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), a Maharatna oil company of India, announced to start the operation of Honda e:swap services on 6th Aug 2022, which is operated by HEID at the HPCL petrol stations.

In November 2021, HEID was established to begin battery swap service in India starting with electric auto rickshaws. HEID’s battery swap service will enable rickshaw drivers to stop by at the nearest battery stations being setup across the selected cities and swap discharged batteries (Honda Mobile Power Pack e:) with fully charged ones. The use of this service will significantly reduce drivers’ initial cost to purchase EV as well as reducing concern about range anxiety and running out of  batteries.

HEID and HPCL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and commercial agreement to collaborate in the field of E-mobility in February 2022 and have affirmed the mutual commitment through developing its swap station network. HEID has already set up its battery exchanger (Honda Power Pack Exchanger e:) at strategic locations among HPCL’s retail outlets in Bengaluru and started its operation initially for electric auto rickshaws which applies Honda Mobile Power Pack e:.

Honda eswap

HEID has strong will to create the largest battery swap network with more than 70 stations in Bengaluru in the following 12 months. Furthermore, based on the success in Bengaluru city, the service will be expanded to other major cities in a phased manner.

Inauguration ceremony has been held on 6th August 2022, where both parties celebrated the progress of partnership and reaffirm mutual determination to realize carbon neutrality and greener future of India by pursuing electrification of small mobilities.

Operation Executive, Business Development Supervisory Unit Head, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Mr. Arata Ichinose said that he appreciated the great support by HPCL toward HEID’s challenges and emphasized the importance of relationship with all partners. As Honda’s target, he also stated to bring cleaner and greener future for customer’s life by expanding battery swap service starting from Bengaluru.

President & CMD, Honda Power Pack Energy India, Mr. Kiyoshi Ito said that HEID would focus on three actions, which are expanding its battery swap network in Bengaluru, ensuring the reliable service with a highly integrated system monitoring every unique battery and exchanger, and supporting vehicle manufacturers who are developing EV that utilizes Honda Mobile Power Pack e:.

Executive Director-Retail, HPCL, Mr. Sandeep Maheshwari said that HPCL is committed to accelerate India’s transition to greener energy. We are one of the biggest Charge Point Operators in the country with 1,058 EV Charging Stations at our retail outlets across the country. Today, we are launching another game changing initiative in partnership with HEID. HPCL & HEID e:swap Stations will make swapping batteries a breeze for e-auto rickshaws at Bengaluru. Swappable batteries address the key EV adoption issues such as - high upfront costs, range anxiety and long charging time. Over 90% of the country’s vehicle sales are of 2Ws and 3Ws. The simplicity of vehicle design and the smaller battery packs needed to power the electric versions of 2/3Ws makes them a prime candidate for swapping. While Honda brings best-in-class technology to e:swap, HPCL with its 20,000+ retail outlets in the country and huge presence in all cities, will ensure scalability and smooth operations.

Executive Director-Corporate Strategy, Planning & Business Development, HPCL, Mr. Dharmendra Kumar Sharma marked that the event as a small step towards taking a giant leap for revolutionizing the e-Mobility ecosystem of India in the days to come. Wishing all the success to Honda, he said that with the kind of meticulous planning & detailed market research done by Honda in collaboration with HPCL over last 2 years in Indian markets, this is going to be a market disruptive move in transforming the e-Mobility markets for 2 & 3 wheelers in the years to come.

Converting Used Cooking Oil into Bio-Diesel - Govt Launches Programme in 100 Cities

State-run oil marketing companies Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum on Saturday launched a programme to procure biodiesel made from used cooking oil in 100 cities across the country.

The programme was formally launched by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, under which the three OMCs would invite expression of interest from private entities for setting up plants to produce biodiesel from used cooking oil.

Initially, the biodiesel would be procured by the OMCs at an assured rate of Rs 51 per litre, which would be increased to Rs 52.7 in the second year and Rs 54.5 per litre in the third year.

The minister also launched Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) sticker and a mobile phone application for collection of used cooking oil (UCO) to ensure that it does not come back to ecosystem.

The sticker would affixed by the food joints, hotels and restaurants in their premises to show that they supply UCO for producing biodiesel.

Addressing an event to mark 'World Biofuel Day' here, Pradhan said, "Biodiesel is available in many forms other than used cooking oil. It is waste to wealth. We will celebrate World Biofuel Day as alternative energy day."

"Like Amul, where milk is collected from households and then converted into a commercial product, there will be RUCO movement. The biggest issue (with biofuels like compressed bio gas) was offtake guarantee. More than 300 firms have got letter of intent for compressed bio gas. Its implementation is a challenge. But we are targetting 5,000 such units till 2024."

He also said, "China has a larger population but its (energy) distribution is not that organised as compared to our three oil marketing companies. That includes city gas distribution firms also.

"Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme, we would achieve the target of providing 8 crore LPG connections by September end. Already, there is 20 per cent reduction in chest congestion disease reported in India due to the clean fuel movement."

Regarding ethanol blending, he said,"We would also make ethanol from surplus food stock. At present we produce ethanol from sugarcane molasses. Non-subsidised bio mass would be converted into energy."

"About four-five years ago, we had decided to increase ethanol blending with petrol. It has increased from 1.5 per cent to 7 to 8 per cent. It will soon be 10 per cent. Our ultimate goal is to achieve 20 per cent ethanol blending with petrol," the minister added.

At present, 850 crore litres of diesel is consumed every month in India. The government aims to blend 5 per cent of biodiesel in diesel by 2030. Thus, 500 crore litres of biodiesel is required in a year.

In India, 2,700 crore litres of cooking oil is used, out which 140 crore UCO can be collected from bulk consumer such as hotels, restaurants and canteens for conversion, which will give around 110 crore litres of biodiesel every year.

At present, there is no established chain of collection for UCO, which presents a huge opportunity.

Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan lauded the efforts of the oil ministry for converting USO into biodiesel.

He said the repeated use of UCO can cause diseases like hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and liver ailments, among others. PTI KKS

EV Charging Infra - Govt-owned EESL to Set up 100 Charging Stations in Noida while Magenta, HPCL Eyes 500 Charging Points in 2020

Government of India owned energy service company, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) on Thursday said it has inked a pact with the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) to promote electric vehicles and set up around 100 public charging stations in Noida.

"Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) to promote electric vehicles (EVs) and install around 100 public charging stations. The MoU will fast-track the adoption of e-mobility in Noida by promoting robust EV infrastructure," EESL said in a statement.

Alok Tandon, chairman of NOIDA, said establishing public charging infrastructure will spur the EV adoption in the city.

"With this partnership with EESL, we envisage the e-mobility movement to gain traction in the city. We are striving to make Noida cleaner, greener and more sustainable," he said.

Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer of NOIDA, said installation of public charging stations will accelerate the adoption of EVs in the city.

A robust public charging infrastructure complements the legislative efforts in creating a sustainable EV ecosystem. With increasing penetration of EVs, the local emission of pollutants is also expected to reduce, leading to cleaner air and several public health benefits, she said.

Last week, government has invited proposals from entities that intend to develop EV charging infrastructure in million-plus cities as per the 2011 census; and smart cities as notified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Ministry of Heavy Industries said.

Magenta Power ropes in HPCL as strategic investor, eyes 500 EV charging points in FY20

Solar power systems provider Magenta Power has roped in state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) as a strategic investor as it bids to accelerate deployment of electric vehicle (EV) chargers across India, according to a top company official.

The company is targeting to set up at least 500 EV charging points across India by the end of this fiscal and has entered into partnerships with various malls, restaurants and institutional entities to set up of the infrastructure.

"We are happy to announce that HPCL is now a strategic investor in our company as well. They have evinced confidence in the work we are doing. They have actually supported us," Magenta Power Managing Director Maxson Lewis told PTI.

While he declined to share financial details of the investment, Lewis said the partnership will enable Magenta Power to closely work with HPCL to set up EV charging solutions not just at the fuel filling stations of the state-owned oil marketing major but also beyond.

When asked if Magenta Power is still looking for more funds to meet its expansion requirements, Lewis replied in the affirmative saying the company's business is asset heavy and capital intensive. "We are looking for more investors at this point of time. There are a couple of discussions going on," he said without elaborating.

Commenting on the company's future expansion plans, Lewis said, "we are invested in setting up the infrastructure... As far as numbers are concerned, we intend to set up at least 500 charging points across India by the end of this fiscal."

At this point of time, he added,"it looks like we are ahead of schedule and looks like we will end up doing more than 500 charging points."

He said 2019, is going to be a year when a lot of the EV ecosystem will fall into place, be it infrastructure, battery optimisation or technology. "And we believe that in 2020 the take off is going to happen," Lewis said, adding "we have taken a collaborative view, with various malls, restaurants institutional entities to support us in setting up of the infrastructure".

Magenta Power has developed three different types of EV chargers for individual (home), institutional and public charging which have been developed keeping the Indian conditions in mind and can support from two and three-wheelers to four wheelers of both old and new generations of EVs, he added.

The company on Thursday introduced its 'Charge Grid Pro' series which is targeted at community charging -- be it offices, malls and residential societies, priced between Rs 32,499 to Rs 39,499.

It comes online connected with a mobile app and command centre allowing EV owners to locate charging stations on map, book charging slots and get charging updates, the company said. PTI RKL

Kerala Startup Tranzmeo Gets Funding from Hindustan Petroleum for Its AI-based Fault Detection Tech

Kochi, Kerala-based startup Tranzmeo, a new-age IT solution provider, has secured an undisclosed pre-seed round funding from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) for its flagship product called 'T-connect OneView', which is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered technology that detect and predict anomaly in petroleum pipeline.

Tranzmeo will utilize the raised money to accelerate R&D of its proprietary technology and product line-up, bolster business development opportunities, and to double the company headcount over the next 12 months. HPCL will also get board seats in the company.

Tranzmeo, which is a NASSCOM 10,000 incubated startup, has already launched a beta version of T-Connect and it currently analyses 508 km of HPCL’s petroleum pipeline for anomaly detection and prediction.

T-Connect is a self-learning, data-driven, comprehensive anomaly forensics application that runs on data streams to impact energy industries including petroleum industry.

Founded in 2017 by engineer turned entrepreneur Safil Sunny, Tranzmeo has developed T-connect as an auto fault detecting system that streams through real-time machine data to learn machine behaviour and predict anomalies. The application is capable of classifying the kind of failure from the incoming data stream and generate alerts.

The startup has also rolled up its sleeves to on-board more tech talent to speed up operations. In the next one year, Tranzmeo plans to further strengthen its leadership team, improve customer experience of existing product line up and outgrow the start-up tag.

Just to recall, besides HPCL other petro firms are also involved in supporting startups in India. In August, ONGC, an another oil-based Public Sector Unit, had launched a Rs 100 crore Start-up fund followed by Rs 30 crore startup fund scheme by Indian Oil Corporation.

[Top Image - Twitter.com/BloombergQuint]

Source - Business Line, Economic Times

Now Pay at Hindustan Petroleum Pumps With Your Paytm Wallet

Paytm, Indian mobile payments and commerce platform, has created further touch points for cashless transactions by associating with Hindustan Petroleum for its strong user base of 120 million. The company has entered into a strategic partnership with Hindustan Petroleum to allow payments through the Paytm wallet at furl stations. The move eliminates the hassles associated with using cash for paying fuel bills and also further cements Paytm’s stronghold in the digital wallets.

On this announcement, Kiran Vasireddy, Sr. Vice President – Paytm said, “We are on a mission to make payments extremely simple and we are adding as many use cases as possible for users to transact using Paytm. Our partnership with Hindustan Petroleum is crucial in making these petrol pumps become cashless in the next few years. Payments through wallet will not only enhance convenience to customers but will also bring in more operational efficiencies thereby reducing queues at these pumps.”

Enthused with the association, HPCL North Zone Head - Shri Subodh Batra commented, “We are excited about this partnership with Paytm which brings in technology to make payments digitally possible in HPCL Petrol Pumps. Through this seamless operation of payment mechanism, we can foresee faster fuelling at our filling stations. By embracing this technology driven partnership we are confident that it will create a great value addition for customers across demographic profiles."

Hindustan Petroleum has presence in cities across India with over 13,250 filling stations. Currently transactions take place majorly through cash followed by Credit and Debit cards. Payments through Paytm mobile app have the potential to completely take over the traditional transaction options in the coming year.