The state-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) plans to invest around Rs 2,400 crore to procure 20,000 electric vehicles for government use by March next year, a senior company official has said. The company is also likely to sign memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat this month to supply 1,000 and 8,000 electric vehicles, respectively.

"We have got a good response for this project. Already 100 electric vehicles are operational in Delhi. In total, we will be procuring 20,000 electric vehicles by March 2019 and we are investing around Rs 2,400 crore for buying them," EESL managing director Saurabh Kumar told PTI yesterday.

With these 20,000 electric cars, EESL expects to save over 5 crore litres of fuel every year, leading to a reduction of over 560,000 tonnes of annual carbon dioxide emission.

The company had floated a global tender for 10,000 EVs last year to replace the governments fleet in line with the vision to switch to 100 percent electric mobility by 2030. The tender, which comprised 500 vehicles to be procured in phase one and the rest in the second phase, was won by Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.

While Mahindra Electric delivered the first set of its e-Verito sedans to EESL on November 15, 2017, Tata Motors delivered the first batch of Tigor electric sedans to EESL on December 14, 2017. 

According to Kumar, EESL has signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government to supply 10,000 cars last month and has already floated another tender of an equal number. "The tender process is progressing well and we would be soon entering into agreements with Maharashtra and Gujarat governments," he added.

Floats tender for 2,500 charging stations
EESL has also rolled out the plan for setting up charging stations across the country. "We have already laid down 250 charging stations in Delhi and a tender has been floated to set up an additional 2,500 stations across the country," said Kumar.

EESL is a joint venture of four other public sector units including NTPC, Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation and PowerGrid Corporation.

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