In an effort to give a push to use of clean energy, the Army has decided to procure electric vehicles(EV) including buses, cars and two-wheelers for its peace stations.
The plan envisages designated units at these stations having 25 per cent light vehicles (cars), 38 percent buses and 48 percent motorcycles will be replaced with electric vehicles.
Various factors unique to the Indian Army – employability, remote locations and operational commitments – were considered to arrive at a definite time-bound road map, defence sources said here on Wednesday. India has emerged as one of the leaders to exceed global targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 2070.
“Many projects are being implemented to reduce the carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. Introduction of Electric Vehicles (EVs) are considered as one of the effective steps in that direction,” sources said.
Hence, the Army has put into plan a roadmap to induct EVs wherever possible considering the operational commitments which will significantly cut down emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, they said.
According to the plan, for the initial phase, existing scarcity of buses will be fulfilled by procuring electric buses for select peace establishments. An Open Tender Enquiry (OTE) for procurement of 60 electric buses along with 24 fast chargers will soon be floated, they said.
Moreover, the EV charging points in the parking lots of offices and residential complexes for on board charging are under progress. These charging stations will have at least one fast charger and two to three slow chargers.
Electric circuit cables and transformers with adequate load bearing capability, based on anticipated number of EVs per station, are being set up while solar panel-driven charging stations are also being planned in a phased manner to bring the carbon footprint of these EVs to near zero. Considering the pace of greener initiatives being adopted by the government, efforts to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, it is necessary to adapt to the changing environment, sources said. The Army has already started using EVs as part of Civil Hired Transport (CHT). Stations like Delhi Cantonment have already set up charging stations for EVs being hired or inducted subsequently. In April this year, the Army had organised a demonstration of available electric vehicles before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Electric vehicle manufactures like Tata Motors, Perfect Metal Industries (PMI) and Revolt Motors showcased their collections and highlighted enhancement in technology and range of operation achieved during the past few years.
