Almost everything is home delivered and ready to consume. Fuels like Petrol and Diesel have also joined the list. Large industries and corporations find it cumbersome to take their fleet of trucks and large vehicles regularly to the fuel station for refuelling. If instead, the fuel is delivered to them via mobile dispensing stations, it will reduce costs, save time, and eliminate the counter productivity of the task. Pepfuels is delivering fuel to the B2B sector through online orders.
Pepfuels, Fuel home delivered
Pepfuels is a mobile fuel delivery start-up with an online doorstep delivery platform for diesel fuel. Founded in 2014 and based in Delhi, they are a B2B (business-to-business) start-up serving customers across multiple industries. Pepfuels offers doorstep delivery of fuels mainly Diesel and Engine Oil through an app-based service.
How they are disrupting the mobile fuel delivery space
Pepfuels, a new entrant is disrupting the mobile fuel delivery space by helping their customers reduce their carbon footprints, save time, and fuel costs, and prevent pilferage. They are also venturing into new markets like Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to fulfil the end-to-end needs of their customers. Through their business model, the company wants to encourage the adoption of a gas-based economy. Their strategic tie-ups with key B2B stakeholders are disrupting the industry. They are expected to reach an annual turnover of INR 100 Cr. Currently, Pepfuels has a presence in three Indian cities namely, Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida and is slowly inching towards a PAN India presence.
How their IoT-RFID Technology works
Pepfuels is pioneering the fuel delivery space in India with India’s very first location-based fuel delivery system through their patented IoT-RFID (Internet-of-Things Radio Frequency Identification) device. This is a smart fuelling technology which has a server monitored reader connected through a dispensing machine. This technology offers accurate, theft-proof, and zero loss in fuel. The vehicle dispatched to deliver fuel is equipped with an RFID tag. The dispensing machines have a reader that reads the RFID tag and dispenses as per the order quantity. Also, the dispensing vehicles are geo-fenced and have GPS and fuel sensors.
The fuel home delivery space in India
Current scenario
In 2020, a INR 2000 Cr market for fuel delivery start-ups opened up in India. Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had invited bids and Expressions of Interest (EoI). Start-ups who aspired to become fuel resellers could pitch in by becoming Fuel Entrepreneurs (FuelEnts). A lot of start-ups sprung up in the fuel home delivery space after this move.
Existing players
Existing players in the fuel home delivery space include start-ups like ReadyAssist, Fuel Buddy, iSafe Assist, Roda on Road Assistance, MyPetrolPump, Humsafar, Repos Energy etc. who have rolled out on-demand fuel delivery services.
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They are also venturing into new markets like Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to fulfil the end-to-end needs of their customers.
What’s in it for me?
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), a government owned body has a INR 100 Cr ONGC Start-up Fund for start-ups. This is under the Start-up India initiative which provides an end-to-end support chain for start-ups including seed capital, hand holding, mentoring, market linkage, and follow-ups. Innovative technology-enabled ideas that can disrupt the oil and gas sector in India stand a chance to acquire seed funding through the ONGC Start-up Fund.
As already mentioned, the market valuation is slowly inching towards the INR 2000 Cr milestone. A lot of start-ups are signing deals with large fuel corporations. Existing oil marketing companies are rapidly expanding to new cities and states in India and establishing a pan-India presence. There is high demand for fuel delivery of petrol, diesel, engine oil among industries like construction, transportation, education, and the corporate industry. The home delivery of fuel is a good answer to the problem of rising petrol and diesel prices in India because it cuts down on the time and fuel costs needed to travel to the petrol station and reduces the environmental impact for B2Bs.
