CESL inks pact with Goa, Kerala to buy 30,000 electric two- and three-wheelers

Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), the EESL subsidiary, has forged key partnerships on World Environment Day to increase the deployment of electric vehicles in the country. Agreements and MoUs have been signed with the state governments of Goa and Kerala to procure over 30,000 two- and three-wheelers.

This marks CESL’s entry into the electric two- and three-wheeler segments in India. Under the agreements, CESL will also invest in setting up EV charging infrastructure and monitor the use of the assets.

On May 19, Autocar Professional had reported CESL awarding a Rs 44 crore contract to Tata Motors for purchase of 300 EVs.

Nilesh Cabral, Minister of Power, Environment, New and Renewable Energy, government of Goa said, “Availability of two-wheeler EVs and its associated infrastructure can garner widespread demand and popularity, especially in a state like Goa. We are happy to partner with CESL and looking forward to escalate the progress in making Goa a green state.”

Dr R. Harikumar, Director, Energy Management Centre, government of Kerala said, “Kerala has been actively pursuing greener policies and environment friendly programs. Adoption of Electric Mobility on mass scale will benefit the State both environmentally and financially. It is our pleasure to collaborate with CESL, and soon we hope to make EVs accessible, affordable and reliable for the masses.”

Partnerships to develop EV ecosystem
Additionally, CESL has entered in strategic relationships with Bharat Electronics, TVS Motor Company, JBM Renewables and Fortum India to jointly undertake the expansion and adoption of the EV ecosystem.

This will entail setting up of public charging infrastructure, better technological adoption in charging, explore best practices and business models as also the availability of potential customer segments for demand augmentation. These agreements will also include development of highway and expressway Charge Point Operators. Feasibility of park and charge facility to customers across all EV segments will also be explored as part of the project.

Mahua Acharya, MD & CEO, CESL, said, “Mass adoption of EVs is an important step towards achieving India’s green growth goals. I am very pleased to have reached this far working with states to deliver two-wheelers and three-wheelers alike.”

Nishant Arya, vice-chairman, JBM Group, said, “The automotive industry is transforming radically with disruptive technologies taking the world’s mobility ecosystem towards self-sustainable products and solutions. As a group, we have seamlessly been able to synergise and align our various businesses to this ongoing transformation. Our eco-friendly electric buses, EV charging solutions, battery manufacturing capabilities and renewable energy offerings are manifestations of this change. It is a pleasure to partner with a forward-thinking organization like CESL.”

Manu Saxena, Vice President, Future Mobility & Dealer Transformation, TVS Motor Company, said, “CESL is a significant initiative of the Government of India to make public charging infrastructure available to the citizens of India. Today, on World Environment Day, TVS Motor takes pride in being the first 2-Wheeler manufacturer to have a MOU with CESL. We will continue to contribute to India’s electric adoption, staying true to our brand purpose, TVS IQUBE CHARGE. LIFE.   This year TVS IQUBE will be available in over 20 cities in India. In addition to its home charging options, it will be the TVS dealership charging network, and the emerging PUBLIC CHARGING ecosystem, with strong players like CESL that will accelerate India’s EV journey.”

Awadhesh Jha, Vice President, Fortum Charge and Drive India Pvt Ltd. said, “The adoption of e-mobility in India depends on the creation of an ubiquitous and robust charging infrastructure which will encourage consumers as well as automakers for greater participation. We are happy to see that there has been a significant growth in the demand for public EV charging infrastructure and the policy support extended by the Indian government to bolster the mass adoption of EVs in the country. Our collaboration with Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) is a testament towards our aim to boost the adoption of EVs in India. This MoU to develop jointly charging plaza in 4 million+ cities of India as well as support CESL in managing their network using Fortum’s capability as Network Service Provider (NSP) will definitely provide a paradigm shift towards the sale and growth of electric vehicles in the country.”

Shri GSN Murthy, General Manager (Civilian Marketing), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), said, “There is immense scope for growth in the Electric Mobility sector in India, in all its aspects especially in the Charging Infrastructure, Battery recycling and reuse and adoption among the masses. Together with CESL, we look forward to making the EVs more affordable and reachable to the people in India and closely align with the Government’s clean energy and sustainability initiatives.”

CESL is a newly established subsidiary of state-owned Energy Efficiency Services Limited, itself a joint venture of public sector companies under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. Convergence focuses on energy solutions that lie at the confluence of renewable energy, electric mobility, and climate change. It builds upon the decentralised solar development experience in under-served rural communities in India, and over time, using battery energy storage, will deliver renewable energy solutions to power agricultural pumps, street lighting, domestic lighting, and cooking appliances in villages. CESL is working to enable battery powered electric mobility and its infrastructure and design business models to increase the uptake of electric vehicles in India.

About CESL:

A 100% owned subsidiary of EESL – Convergence Energy Services Limited (Convergence), a new energy company is focused on delivering clean, affordable and reliable energy. Convergence focuses on energy solutions that lie at the confluence of renewable energy, electric mobility and climate change.