Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will flag off 14 electric cars and hand over their charging infrastructure to the Motor Vehicles Department during the inaugural session of Evolve 2019 — Kerala’s first E-Mobility Expo that will be held at Grand Hyatt here on Saturday.
Kerala’s electric vehicle policy targets one million electric vehicles by 2022, while the Centre has envisioned that all public transport vehicles be powered by electricity by 2030. The government is in talks with a Swiss electric bus manufacturer to set up a manufacturing facility in Kerala. The Secretariat would soon become electric-vehicle friendly, with Delta charging facility and e-cars provided by EESL, says an official press release. The two-day event will bring together many leaders of the EV industry — manufacturers, infrastructure companies, policy makers, industry and trade associations, auto enthusiasts, apart from members of the public. The event will be an opportunity for bus owners’ associations, autorickshaw trade union associations across the State, automobile dealers, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to develop B2B linkages.
Evolve 2019 will witness the signing of MoUs by Kerala with leading international and national firms for research and development in the sector. Recently, Kerala Automobiles Ltd (KAL) became the first PSU to be awarded ARAI certification for electric autorickshaws.
The Chief Minister will launch the first electric charging facility by Indian Oil Corporation at Edappally virtually during the inaugural function. Rajagiri School of Engineering will showcase an autonomous vehicle developed by a student, while SCMS College will showcase e-vehicles built by students.
A young innovator would display an electric bike developed by him. The event will create public awareness about new technologies in electric mobility, showcase Kerala as a market and an investment destination for EVs, while also serving as a platform for creating B2B linkages. It will also collectively deliberate about the future of transportation in Kerala. Almost 70 firms in manufacturing, charging, funding, new mobility sector and start-ups are expected to be part of the event.
