India’s CESL launches tender for leasing 3,500 electric cars
In India, the state-owned company Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) has just put out another large tender for electric vehicles. The organisation is looking to lease 3,500 electric cars for a period of three to five years.
CESL is India’s government agency for procuring and deploying electric vehicles across all government and state-run units to ensure vehicle standards and operational compatibility across states. The organisation recently launched the third round of tenders under the Grand Challenge Scheme with the aim of funding thousands of electric buses in up to nine major cities across India.
This most recent tender for leasing 3,500 electric cars should serve various departments and autonomous bodies across 18 states and Union Territories. These include Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Haryana, Assam, Odisha, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, J&K and Jharkhand.
The state authorities or departments are to provide their own charging facilities and necessary approvals. The vehicles will have to be purchased by financiers to be leased to CESL or the government partner for a specific period.
Mahua Acharya, MD and CEO, CESL said, “Having operated almost 2,000 cars and gathered some experience around this business, it is now a good time to utilise the market for achieving scale. We urge OEMs and leasing agencies to participate in this project and together build the ecosystem for a total transformation to clean transportation,” added Acharya.
