THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) plans to roll out its electric car project in three cities by the end of this year.The initiative is meant to generate interest and awareness in electric vehicle technology which is cheaper and also cleaner for the environment. The state-run power company plans to have two cars in Thiruvananthapuram and one each in Kochi and Kozhikode. The public can hire the vehicles at Rs 100 per hour for a maximum of four hours from these facilities, the Power Department informed the Assembly.
There will be four charging points in all; two at the KSEB state HQ ‘Vydyuthi Bhavan’ at Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, one at the GIS Sub-station at Marine Drive, Kochi, and the fourth one at the Kozhikode office of the KSEB. ‘’We have invited EoI for establishing the four charging points. The state government has also okayed the purchase of the four cars,” said a KSEB spokesperson. There are also plans for a charging point at Technopark campus in Thiruvananthapuram.
Electric cars and two-wheelers are not new to Kerala, though the trend is yet to catch on. But this is perhaps the first time a state government agency is eyeing the possibilities in the electric car segment. As part of promoting renewable energy, the KSEB has been steadily introducing solar and wind power projects in the state. The USP of electric vehicles is they are cleaner and cheaper, say KSEB officers.
The state government is spending Rs 1.71 crore on the electric car project, according to the Power Department.
