As per a report in The Mint, senior government officials are unhappy with the performance of their Mahindra eVerito and Tata Tigor EVs, supplied by the state-run EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd). The officials are said to have rejected the use of the models citing sub-par performance and inadequate range.
According to a senior official involved in creating regulations for EVs and electric mobility in India, the Mahindra eVerito and the Tata Tigor EV do not deliver even 80-82km on a single charge within city limits. The vehicle requirements as per the EESL tender was of a range of upwards of 130km (without AC) as certified by the ARAI. Mahindra is reportedly developing a new EV that will have a longer range. Other requirements included a 0-60kph time of less than 13 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 80kph.
As per the tender agreement with EESL, Mahindra and Tata were to supply 150 units and 350 units, respectively, during the first phase, with another 9,500 units to follow by 2019. However, EESL has said that only 150 units have been delivered so far.
A spokesman from EESL said that there will be 200-250 electric vehicles deployed in Delhi and Andhra Pradesh by mid-July and that the conditions of the second EV tender are being re-evaluated.
The roll-out and supply of these EVs was previously delayed due to a lack of charging infrastructure.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
