Rajnath, Naravane given EV demo for use in Army in peace areas

With the army proposing to use electric vehicles (EV) in peace areas, a demonstration of such vehicles was given to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh here on Friday. Army Chief General M M Naravane and other senior officers were present at the occasion.

Electric Vehicle manufacturers from Tata Motors, Perfect Metal Industries (PMI) and Revolt Motors showcased their EVs and briefed about the enhancement in technology and range of operation achieved during the past few years, officials said here. Rajnath has appreciated the Army’s initiative to induct EVs and reduce dependency on fossil fuels in line with the government policies. The government’s policy of FAME I and II have given tremendous boost to infrastructure development for sustaining the EV ecosystem in India. Setting up of EV charging stations has been delicenced by the government to facilitate the EV adoption. Naravane believes that the future in transportation is EVs and Indian Army has to be a torch bearer and lead the way in adoption of this technology even if the world armies are still only contemplating introduction of EVs. Based on the directions of the Chief of Army Staff, a Board of Officers was detailed under Director General of Supplies and Transport (DGST) Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Singh Yadav as the Presiding Officer to formulate a definite time bound road map for introduction of EVs in Indian Army.

The Board of Officers has finalized its recommendations and Yadav briefed the Chief of Army Staff, Army Commanders and Senior Army officers on Friday about the planned introduction of EVs during the Army Commanders meeting.

As of now, the Army is planning to procure EVs in three categories including cars, buses and motorcycles.