Goa: All new rental cars & bikes to be electric from January 2024

Existing fleet vehicles must be retrofitted with electric powertrains by June 2024.

The government of Goa has announced that all new tourist vehicles, that includes rental cars and bikes must be electric from January 2024. Besides, existing fleet vehicles must be retrofitted with electric powertrains by June 2024.

Speaking at the Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting, Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa, said, "All new tourist vehicles, cab and bike rentals shall be EVs from January 2024, while new government light motor vehicles (LMVs) purchased from January 2024 will mandatorily be EVs. It will also be mandatory for permit holders having multiple tourist taxis, rent a bike and rent a cab operator to retrofit 30 per cent of the fleet to EV by June 2024.”

Sawant added that EV ownership in the state has increased from 0.2% to 9.4% since subsidies were introduced in 2021. The state also plans to roll out new subsidies at a time when the central government has slashed the sops offered under the FAME II scheme.

Source: Autocar