The Missing Infrastructure

The Missing Infrastructure

India's electric vehicle story is imploding at an alarming rate.

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Sumant Banerji
  • Jul 23, 2018,
  • Updated Jul 25, 2018 10:04 PM IST

India's electric vehicle story is imploding at an alarming rate. Energy Efficiency Services Limited - the joint venture of four power PSUs - has scrapped its second global tender to procure 10,000 electric cars.

The reason? India's lack of substantive charging infrastructure; and tepid demand for cars from the first tender. Inadequate charging network scares off potential e-car buyers, but with hardly any e-cars on the roads, charging infrastructure providers aren't enthused either.

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Demand is low, though EESL believes e-cars can replace 80 per cent of the government fleet (nearly 5,00,000) that is mostly used for short trips. EESLs trial and error method mirrors the governments own backtracking from its ambitious 100 per cent e-mobility dream by 2030 and highlights the unpreparedness of regulators in the highly-dynamic EV game.

India's electric vehicle story is imploding at an alarming rate. Energy Efficiency Services Limited - the joint venture of four power PSUs - has scrapped its second global tender to procure 10,000 electric cars.

The reason? India's lack of substantive charging infrastructure; and tepid demand for cars from the first tender. Inadequate charging network scares off potential e-car buyers, but with hardly any e-cars on the roads, charging infrastructure providers aren't enthused either.

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Demand is low, though EESL believes e-cars can replace 80 per cent of the government fleet (nearly 5,00,000) that is mostly used for short trips. EESLs trial and error method mirrors the governments own backtracking from its ambitious 100 per cent e-mobility dream by 2030 and highlights the unpreparedness of regulators in the highly-dynamic EV game.

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