Energy Minister Nilesh Cabral Announces E-Mobility Initiatives for Goa

Nilesh Cabral has emphasised on the importance of ushering in electric 2Ws in Goa, as he highlighted new e-mobility initiatives for the UT.

Nilesh Cabral, Minister of Power, Environment, New & Renewable Energy, Govt of Goa emphasised on the importance of ushering in electric two-wheelers in Goa, as he highlighted new electric mobility (E-mobility) initiatives in the UT as a part of the larger Convergence initiative by the Government of India.

The clean mobility scheme will be applicable for the first 10,000 electric two-wheelers sold in the state, which will reduce 5,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year and remove 10 percent of polluting vehicles off Goa’s roads. The scheme is being implemented by Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL).

The electric two-wheeler will take 3-4 hours to get fully charged and can go 100 km on a single charge. The state government is also installing easily accessible public charging stations throughout the state of Goa.

“Goa is a biker’s destination. We have close to a million two-wheelers in Goa, comprising almost 70 percent of the state’s vehicle population. These will be converted into electric two-wheelers or e-Bikes by Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL). As these e-Bikes run purely on electricity, they do not cause emissions and are therefore environment friendly,” Cabral said.

The UT government is working on making it easier for people to switch to electric vehicles by offering a host of subsidies and incentives, which include:

• A cash incentive that works like a buyback programme, similar to how cell phone companies incentivise users to hand in their old phone and buy a new one
• No registration charges, resulting automatically in a 5 percent reduction in the EV cost 
• A subsidy that will enable buyers to access a very affordable lease 
• An incentive to scrap old vehicles, as announced by the Hon’ble Union Finance Minister in her recent budget speech 

So far, three high-capacity combo EV chargers of 122-150kW, Type 2 AC standards have been installed in Goa which can charge long-range EVs. Installation of Bharat Standard DC001 EV chargers is being planned adjacent to these existing chargers for recharging moderate-range EVs. This installation, as per CESL, will be completed by the end of this month.

CESL, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of EESL, has been anchoring the EV ecosystem development in India, undertaking demand aggregation for procuring EVs, supporting the transition in bringing innovative business models, and providing the implementation wherewithal for accelerated roll-out of EV charging units.