Jharkhand has adopted an e-mobility program in partnership with the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). The Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) has signed an agreement with EESL for the deployment of 50 electric vehicles (EVs) at various JBVNL offices in Ranchi.

In the first batch, 20 EVs will be handed over to JBVNL, followed by 30 in the next two weeks. Creating a robust supporting infrastructure is equally crucial for promotion of e-mobility and thus 12 charging stations have also been set up at four offices of JBVNL, including their corporate office in Ranchi.

With this development, the state has begun its transition towards a reduced carbon footprint and a more sustainable, greener and cleaner future. It also marks Jharkhand’s participation in India’s e-mobility goal of 30 percent fleet electrification by 2030. Several stakeholders across the nation are already implementing programs across different facets of the electric mobility sector with more expected to join the effort.

With these 50 cars, JBVNL is expected to save over 1.20 lakh liters of fuel every year and it will also lead to a reduction of over 1,400 tons of carbon dioxide annually. In addition to this, JBVNL will make monetary savings in maintenance as the operating cost is one-fourth in comparison to an internal combustion engine.

Jharkhand Chief Minister, Shri Raghubar Das, said in a media statement, “Electric mobility is an attractive, sustainable and profitable solution to mitigate climate change and the threat to public health caused by vehicular emission. Today’s event is an important milestone for ushering in an era of clean, green and future-oriented technologies in Jharkhand. We are glad to join the government of India’s mission of rapid adoption of e-mobility in the country and we would like to see our state at the forefront of this revolution.”

Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director, EESL also said, “The implementation of this project will result in increased awareness among various sectors about the advantages that electric vehicles offer. We will continue to implement energy efficiency schemes in Jharkhand by working closely with the state government.  The signing of this agreement is a significant milestone towards our effort.  We are glad to provide EVs to JBVNL and be a part of the state’s transition to e-mobility.”

EESL has received an encouraging response from central government departments and across states. So far, agreements have been signed with central and state government departments in Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. EESL is in advance negotiations with other state governments across India.

Towards enabling the Indian government’s e-mobility vision, EESL first plans to replace the government’s 500,000 conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars with electric variants. EESL has also established charging infrastructure across all states where EVs are being deployed.

Mercom previously reported that in line with the central government’s vision of achieving 100 percent e-mobility by 2030, National E-Mobility Program has been launched in the country. India is now targeting the deployment of 5 million to 7 million electric vehicles across the country by 2020 under the revised National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020, released in August 2017.

EESL is one of the government organizations at the forefront implementing clean energy initiatives in the country, especially energy efficiency initiatives.

In a recent interview, Mercom sat down with Saurabh Kumar, the managing director of EESL to find out more about the various initiatives his organization is actively involved in.