DEA to get 15 EVs on lease for 5 years

The Indian government recently inducted 15 Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance in New Delhi. It comes under an agreement with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). 28 charging points (24 Slow charging points charging in 6 hours and 4 Fast Charging Points charging in 90 minutes) have been installed at North Block for charging these vehicles.

With the induction of these 15 vehicles being provided on lease basis for a period of 5 years, DEA expects to save over 36,000 litres of fuel every year besides leading to the reduction of over 440 tonnes of CO2 annually. These vehicles are automatic and fully air-conditioned with zero emission. The Government intends to save in maintenance and operating cost which is almost one fourth in comparison to an internal combustion engine.

This also marks DEA’s participation in India’s e-mobility goal of 30 percent fleet electrification by 2030. The Department of Expenditure has also issued an office memorandum for all the Government Offices in Delhi to switch over to electric vehicles. Several stakeholders across the nation are already implementing many initiatives to support electric mobility with more expected to join the effort. Adoption of electric vehicles will reduce dependence on oil imports and promote power capacity addition in India thereby enhancing energy security of the country. It will further reduce GHG emissions from the transport sector and also positively impact the pollution level in the cities.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley, said, “Electric mobility, is an attractive, sustainable and profitable solution to mitigate adverse impact of climate change and the threat to public health caused especially by vehicular emission. He said that EVs have the potential to support India’s growth by enhancing manufacturing, job creation, and technical capabilities. We are glad to be a part of India’s mission of rapid adoption of e-mobility.”

The Minister of State (I/C) Power, New & Renewable Energy, RK Singh said, “The Indian Government is committed to usher in an era of clean, green and future-oriented technologies in the country. Today, we have achieved yet another milestone in that direction. He said that the Government is promoting e-mobility by taking a lead in changing the fleet of cars used for official purposes with electric cars and at the same time creating the 'Right Policy Framework' enabling this ecosystem and to support its adoption."

EESL has signed agreements and MoUs with the Central and State Government Departments in Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. EESL is in advanced negotiations with other State Governments across India. The recent Guidelines on charging infrastructure provide a thrust to Private & Public Charging Stations ensuring access and availability for consumers. Further, the inclusion of CCS & CHAdeMO under charging infra standards is set to encourage automakers to offer higher range EVs. This will remove barriers like range and build confidence for EV consumers.

Towards enabling the Indian Government’s e-mobility vision, EESL first plans to replace the Government’s 5,00,000 conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars with electric variants. EESL has also established charging infrastructure across all the States where EVs are being deployed.

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