KOCHI: The state government’s big-ticket proposals mooted during the ‘Evolve’ E-expo organised in July are yet to make any concrete progress yet. While the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) on electric bus (e-bus) manufacturing unit in Kerala is going on, the government is hoping to finalise the project within the next two months.
“We have entrusted PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for preparing the DPR for the e-bus manufacturing unit. It will take around two more months to complete. Once the DPR is prepared, the state government will take the final decision in the project,” said K R Jyothilal, principal secretary, transport department, Kerala.
The DPR will also finalise the location and other requirements of the project. “The PwC team has been studying the prospective locations, including Thevara, suggested by the government based on cargo connectivity. We are looking for an area of 100 acres with future export possibilities. The requirement for SEZ, water and power availability, taxation, etc. are part of the DPR,” he said.
The official mentioned that big players in the filed have also shown interest in the project. “Along with Hess AG, firms like Toshiba and Siemens have also shown interest. We need to chalk out incentives to be given to them based on the report. Apart from this project, e-auto and e-scooter production units are also on the anvil,” Jyothilal added.
E-scooter for first and last-mile connectivity
The ambitious plan to ensure last-mile connectivity for Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) through e-scooters is in the pipeline. “We are still in talks with both the state government and KMRL. The company is hoping to finalise the agreement within the next three months,” said a spokesperson of Vogo, an e-scooter company which evinced interest in the project. On the other hand, the expansion of e-autos has hit a roadblock due to unavailability of charging options.
“Our drivers are losing around five hours per day for charging. We are going to tie-up with BPCL and it will offer ‘swapping model’ with Lithium Iron Battery at petrol pumps. Although KMRL has promised to offer charging points during the tender process, they haven’t provided it yet,” said Midhun Das, area manager, Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions. However, KMRL is yet to respond to the issues.