Goa govt. gives nod to electric mobility promotion policy

With the aim of promoting electric vehicle adoption in the State and reducing emissions, the Goa State Government on Wednesday authorized the Goa Electric Mobility Promotion Policy (GEMPP) 2021-22.

The policy aims at having 30% electric vehicles of the total annual vehicles registered in Goa starting 2025. The State, known for its beautiful beaches, a coastline of about 104 km, and inland waterways of about 250 km also aims at converting 50% of all the ferries to electric by 2025.

Some of the other key objectives the policy aims to achieve includes:

• To encourage start-ups and investment in the field of electric mobility and associated sectors
• To promote service units which would include electric vehicles and battery repair and maintenance stations
• To promote R&D, innovation and skill development within the EV sector
• Financial Incentives - Purchase incentives, scrapping incentives, interest subvention on loans
• To provide a waiver on road tax and registration fees
• To establish a wide network of charging stations and swappable battery stations, and develop a publicly owned database of the same
  

The State Government's vision is to establish Goa as a model of International Standards for Electric Vehicle adoption across passenger and commercial segments, supported by a world-class charging infrastructure and eco-system and it intends to achieve this goal by incorporating all sustainable initiatives including smart-city development, promotion of energy conservation and creation of integrated transport mechanisms.

The policy will be applicable for a period of five years from the date of notification in the official Gazette and will be applicable to all EVs including e-2Ws, e-3Ws, passenger cars, and commercial light/heavy vehicles that are registered and operated in Goa. The policy shall be applicable to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Hybrid Vehicles, and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), as per FAME-II notifications and provisions.

The policy calls for the formation of a high-powered committee, based on the recommendation of which the government will formulate a package of incentives to Pioneer, Mega, and Ultra-Mega units manufacturing Electric Vehicles and associated components.

According to the draft policy, the Department of New and Renewable Energy shall be responsible for the administration of the policy including the constitution of the State Electric Vehicle Board, with officials from Govt. of Goa, Department of Transport, Goa Electricity Department, Goa Energy Development Authority & Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) as its key members, establish a dedicated EV cell, and develop an intensive public outreach programme focused on creating awareness about the benefits of electric vehicles and key elements of the policy.

By promoting the adoption of EVs and the complete EV ecosystem, the Goa government aims to create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the sector by 2025.