In a first step towards promotion of green vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra today handed over four battery-powered vans to the Agra Development Authority to be used for public transport under a pilot project.
The first electric vehicle pilot project under the aegis of National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) is a step towards government's long-term vision of NEMMP 2020.
Unveiled in January 2013, the NEMMP lays out a detailed and comprehensive roadmap for electrification of the road transport sector in India.
The four Maximmo electric vans will initially be used to ferry tourists from Shilpgram to the East Gate of the Taj Mahal. In future they could also be used for transporting tourists to Mehtab Bagh for night viewing of the Taj Mahal, Mahindra & Mahindra said in a statement.
The company will also provide charging stations, technical assistance, spare parts and additional service support for this project.
"Going forward we will develop many such smart transportation and mobility solutions for public and private transportation including last mile connectivity," Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Secretary Rajan Katoch said.
The four vehicles will be used along the clean, green Taj Zero Emission Corridor, to help reduce vehicular emissions, the statement said.
"This initiative by Mahindra is the first such project under the central government's NEMMP," it added.
The electric vans have been developed by Mahindra Reva, a subsidiary of Mahindra Group.
The NEMMP 2020 mission aims to grow sales of electric vehicles to 6-7 million a year by 2020 and includes direct subsidies for purchase of both four and two-wheeled electric vehicles.
