Goa to waive registration charges on electric two-wheelers, offer subsidies

Goa is the latest state in India to turn its attention to electric vehicles, by offering incentives to two-wheeler owners opting for the eco-friendly commuting option. The state is now going all out to woo riders to shift to electric two-wheelers with a number of incentives under its new clean mobility scheme.

• Waiver of registration charges to reduce electric two-wheelers cost by 5 percent
• Buyers to be offered cash incentives and subsidies on lease programmes
• State Government to also offer incentives to scrap old two wheelers

Nilesh Cabral, Minister of Power, Environment, New and Renewable Energy and Law and Judiciary, Government of Goa, spoke about the need to usher in electric two-wheelers in Goa, which has a large population of petrol-engined two-wheelers. He also highlighted other electric mobility initiatives as a part of the larger convergence initiative by the Government of India.

Clean mobility scheme target

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 Ltd (CESL), a Government of India company that is also working on making solar power chargers for these two wheelers.

The state government is also installing easily accessible public charging stations throughout the state of Goa.

What will be the incentives available?

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

1. 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.
2. No registration charges, resulting in a 5 percent reduction in the EV cost.
3. A subsidy that will enable buyers to access a very affordable lease.
4. An incentive to scrap old vehicles, in line with the proposal announced in the Union Budget 2021.

Nilesh Cabral said, “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).”

Mahua Acharya, CEO and MD, Convergence Energy Services (CESL), said, “Electric vehicles are at the forefront of the global agenda to move towards a sustainable future, and CESL is leading several initiatives in India to promote faster EV adoption under the national e-mobility programme. We are proud to partner with the Goa government for promoting e-mobility in the state.”

EV charging infrastructure

Thus far, Goa has three high-capacity combo EV chargers of 122-150kW, Type 2 AC standards, which can charge long-range EVs such as Hyundai Kona, Tata Nexon EV and MG ZS EV. Installation of Bharat Standard DC001 EV chargers is being planned adjacent to these existing chargers for recharging moderate-range EVs such as the Tata Tigor and Mahindra e-Verito. This installation will be completed by this month.