MUMBAI, April 22 (Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie Group ( MCQEF )

launched on Monday an EV financing platform for India that will

focus 95% of its $1.5 billion investment on electrifying fleets

of commercial vehicles.

The platform, called Vertelo, will offer financing, fleet

management and charging infrastructure solutions, its chief

executive Sandeep Gambhir said at the launch.

The remaining 5% of investment will go towards charging

infrastructure and other requirements.

Macquarie had previously said it would launch an EV

financing platform along with the United Nations' Green Climate

Fund (GCF) targeting initial investments on electric buses,

shared fleets and charging infrastructure, but did not give a

breakdown.

The Australian financial services conglomerate's focus on

fleet electrification comes as EV sales are slowing down

globally, with carmakers resorting to discounts to boost demand.

BP-backed startup BluSmart and Lithium operate a fleet of

electric taxis in India, while Uber ( UBER ) has also added electric cars

in India by partnering with fleet operators.

Vertelo will buy up to 2,000 electric cars from Indian EV

market leader Tata Motors over the next three years,

and up to 2,000 buses each from electric bus makers JBM Auto

and Eka Mobility over the next three-to-five years,

Macquarie said in a statement.

The platform has so far drawn equity investments totalling

$405 million from Macquarie and the GCF and will deploy $1.5

billion over the next 10 years.

Macquarie in December picked up a minority stake in Indian

fast-charging infrastructure provider Charge Zone.