The official roll-out of 10,000 EVs for government delayed

• Published On: 31 May 2018
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Only around 2.5 percent are on duty owing to lack of charging stations.

Last year, the government ordered 10,000 electric cars to replace petrol and diesel cars that officials ply around in. The June 2018 deadline has been missed and the government has now extended the new deadline by a year. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL), the government-owned entity, was given the task of acquiring 10,000 cars. Today, only 150 cars have been employed in New Delhi and another 100 odd cars in Andhra Pradesh and other provinces. The cars are being supplied by Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.

The lack of charging stations is why the use of these Electric Cars is low. Currently there are 200 charging stations for government cars, of which around 100 are in the capital city. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration is targeting replacing over 30 percent of the cars used by officials with electric vehicles by 2030.

The lack of subsidies for electric vehicles and the almost non-existent charging infrastructure is the plan’s biggest hurdle.