Indian Army has decided to procure electric vehicles (EVs) for select units and formations, to be in sync with the government’s overall policy of cutting carbon emissions, according to the officials. The procurement will happen in a phased manner and will replace 25 per cent of light vehicles, 38 per cent of buses and 48 per cent of motorcycles with EVs in the select units of the army.
The officials have said that the Indian Army, after considering the operational commitments to significantly drop dependency on fossil fuels, has also put into the plan a roadmap to induct EVs wherever possible.
They further added that multiple factors unique to the Indian Army’s usage of vehicles, remote deployment locations and operational commitment were considered before finalising the roadmap for inducting EVs.
“Various factors unique to the Indian Army’s employability, remote locations of employment and operational commitments were considered to arrive at a definite time-bound roadmap for the project,” the official said.
Furthermore, in order to support the EV ecosystem in the army units, the required infrastructure, including charging points for EVs, would also be put in place. These charging stations will have at least one fast charger and two to three slow chargers, the officials added. In addition to this, the Army is also planning to install solar-powered charging stations in a time-bound manner.
“These EV charging stations will have at least one fast charger and two to three slow chargers. Electric circuit cables, transformers with adequate load-bearing capability based on anticipated number of EVs per station will be put into place,” the official added.
“The Army is also procuring EVs through the capital route. As per plans, the existing shortage of buses will be fulfilled by procuring electric buses for select peace establishments for initial exploitation,” added the official.
“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,” said another official.
In April 2022, the Indian Army organised a demonstration of available EVs to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, where manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Perfect Metal Industries (PMI) and Revolt Motors showcased their offerings and briefed about the enhancement in the technology.
(With input from agencies)
