A recent report suggests that government officials have refused to use electric cars citing poor performance and low range.
The electric vehicles, supplied by Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, are procured and deployed by Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL). Tata Motors had supplied 350 units of Tigor while Mahindra & Mahindra had delivered 150 units of the Verito. The car maker were to receive another order for 9,500 electric vehicles. However, the order was reportedly delayed due to lack of infrastructure.
The report quotes a senior official who claimed that the electric vehicles failed to run even for 80 kms on a full charge.
An EESL spokesperson said, “Since it is a new technology, we wanted to gain confidence on our products before delivering it to our clients. We will be deploying about 200-250 electric vehicles by mid-July. The conditions of the second tender are being re-evaluated and will be released soon. EESL will continue to enable more energy and fuel savings by creating a robust market for e-mobility in India.”
A senior industry executive, who requesting anonymity, added that the two aforementioned models come equipped with a 17 kilowatt (kW) battery pack whereas the global standard is 27-35kW. He also said, “On top of that, government officials get huge sums as car fuel allowance. If they take these vehicles, they cannot claim fuel expenses.”
Source: ET Auto