In order to maximise the use of electric mobility in their own departments, the government on Wednesday installed charging points at the North Block and also deployed 15 such vehicles for its officers.
The Department of Economic Affairs has signed an agreement with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), an entity under the Ministry of Power, and deployed 15 electric vehicles (EVs) for its officers.
As per the agreement, 28 charging points (24 slow charging points and four fast charging points) have been installed at the North Block.
“With these 15 EVs, the Department of Economic Affairs is expected to save over 36,000 litres of fuel every year and will also lead to a reduction of over 440 tonnes of CO2 annually,” a government statement said.
With this development, the Department of Economic Affairs begins its transition towards a reduced carbon footprint and a more environmentally sustainable future. It also marks its participation in India’s e-mobility goal, it said.
Several stakeholders across the nation are already implementing many initiatives to support electric mobility with more expected to join the effort. The 15 EVs are supplied by Mahindra & Mahindra (eVerito model). “Electric mobility is an attractive, sustainable and profitable solution to mitigate the climate change and to reduce the risk posed by vehicular emission to public health. EVs have the potential to support India’s growth by enhancing manufacturing, job creation, and technical capabilities,” Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley, said.
The Department of Expenditure has also issued an office memorandum for all the government offices in Delhi/NCR to switch to electric vehicles.
Good response
EESL has received an encouraging response from the government departments and across States. So far, agreements and MoUs have been signed with Central and State government departments in Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Administration and Telangana.
EESL is in advanced negotiations with other State governments.
The recent guidelines on charging infrastructure provide a thrust to private and 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,” the statement added.