Those companies which, perhaps, were not fully prepared to participate in the first tender for electric vehicles (EV) floated by State-run firm Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), can look forward to another opportunity to supply EVs in bulk. 

EESL could float a new tender for the supply of electric vehicles (EV) within six months from now, according to a company official. The objective is to start the tendering process before the deadline, which is nine months away, for the supply of the entire lot of 10,000 EVs under the first tender. The size of the next tender could be even larger.  

In EESL's first tender worth Rs 1,120 crore, Tata Motors emerged as the lowest bidder with a price of Rs 11.2 lakh (inclusive of GST) and with a comprehensive 5-year warranty for its electric Tigor sedan. This is claimed to be 25 percent below the current retail price of a 'similar electric car with 3-year warranty'. 

Mahindra & Mahindra, which will supply 150 units of its e-Verito, was the second lowest bidder. Nissan was the only other OEM which participated in bidding for the tender, which incidentally was the world's largest tender for EVs. One of the reasons for the  low number of bidders is said to be the short preparation time of 45 days to bid for the order.

It is learnt that for the next tender, EESL could give a longer lead time of around three months.