PANAJI
Marching ahead in electric vehicle adoption, Goa government is considering transitioning the Panaji Smart City area, airports and railway stations, tourists and heritage zones into mandatory EV zones in the State.
The submission was part of the Electric Mobility Index 2024 (IEMI) that was published by the NITI Aayog for tracking the progress of electric mobility made by States and Union Territories, last month.
As per the highlights, the government will mandate that all government vehicles, ferries, ambulances, PCR vans, school and State-run public buses are converted into EVs. The focus is also to see that future tourist taxis or vehicle licenses are granted to electric vehicles on priority.
Goa has been ranked second in overall EV adoption in India by NITI Aayog; however, the State’s overall performance on electrification, infrastructure creation and innovation in EV sector remained disappointing, as the coastal State stood at 15th position in the IEMI 2024.
The Aayog in its report has recommended to the State to provide capital subsidies and offer concessional land rates for strengthening public charging stations. It noted that the State provides a capital subsidy to set up public charging infrastructure covering electricity infrastructure costs for charging stations, up to Rs 8 lakh.
NITI Aayog has also suggested that the State should consider e-mobility courses for skill development across ITIs.
According to the IEMI report highlights, the state has been ranked second in overall EV adoption in India, achieving a 13.6 per cent adoption rate in 2024.
When it comes to EV adoption by private vehicles, the State tops the chart with 100 score along with States like Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. However, its progress in commercial EV adoption remained minimal with a score of four out of 100, securing 28th position.
Goa has been ranked 7th (53 score) in transport electrification, 21st (38) in infrastructure including charging and 26th (29) in EV research and innovation.
