Pune’s 1st ever EV Rally flag off by Transport Minister Anil Parab

April 4, 2022 0 By The Editor

Transport Minister Anil Parab flags off EV Rally

Minister of Transport & Parliamentary Affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra, Shri. Anil Parab flagged off the EV Rally, one of its kind across India, organised at Sinchan Nagar on Sunday (April 03, 2022) morning.
Pune Police Commissioner Shri. Amitabh Gupta, MCCIA Director General Shri. Prashant Girbane, and MIDC GM Marketing Shri. Abhijit Ghorpade were present during the flag-off ceremony. Abhijit Ghorpade and Shri. Ajit Shinde, RTO, Pune welcomed Shri. Anil Parab and Shri. Prashant Girbane welcomed Shri Amitabh Gupta.

The 28 kms rally across Pune had 400+ EVs including:

350 two-wheelers
35 three-wheelers
40 four-wheelers
E-cycles
E-buses – 1 PMPML bus & 1 Hydro fuel bus (from Sentinent Labs)
E-auto rickshaws

The rally covered 28 kilometres. The EV rally started from Sinchan Nagar ground and headed towards Empress Garden for its first pit-stop.

The designated route for the EV Rally:

Empress Garden,
MG Road,
Pune Regional Transport (RTO),
College of Engineering Pune (COEP),
Jangli Maharaj (JM) Road,
Fergusson College (FC) Road,
Model Colony,
Deep Bungalow Chowk,
Om Super Market,
ICC Trade Towers (MCCIA office),
Savitribai Phule Pune University
and back to Sinchan Nagar ground.

The entire EV Rally route was equipped with:

Water points
Pit crew
Ambulances
Along with Pune police and RTO officials deputed on various locations.

In his speech on the occasion of the EV Rally Shri. Anil Parab said:

“On the backdrop of climate change, the Government of Maharashtra has brought out the green mobility and e-vehicles policy. The transitioning from traditional ICE vehicles to EVs is not easy. All stakeholders in the society need to cooperate and participate to create awareness about the advantages of e-vehicles. Today’s EV rally is a part of this initiative and through such events, awareness about EVs will reach all citizens. The Government of Maharashtra is taking necessary steps to build infrastructure for EVs and I am confident that Maharashtra will lead the way in green mobility and e-mobility.”

Speaking on the occasion of the EV Rally Shri Amitabh Gupta said,

“India is leapfrogging in EV adoption. We are at a critical mass and simultaneously the charging and battery technology is evolving. I am confident that if we can achieve a range of 700 kilometres in single charge, then ICE vehicles will be a thing of the past.”

Speaking on the occasion of the EV Rally Shri Abhijit Ghorpade said:

“Climate Change is undoubtedly the greatest challenge faced by mankind in the 21st century. Of all the factors responsible for climate change, vehicular emission is one of the largest contributors to carbon emission. As a part of Government of Maharashtra initiative towards green mobility, MIDC, MPCB in association with MCCIA has organised the EV exhibition. Participation of 350 plus e-vehicles in this rally will virtually bring electric mobility to the doorstep of Punekars. Though the rally was 28 kms long, it will go a long way to build public awareness regarding environment, climate change and e-mobility.”

Speaking on the occasion of the EV Rally Shri Prashant Girbane said:

“Pune is a city well-known for its auto industry. As the auto industry is going through a paradigm shift, the Pune AFC could help shape up this transition. The EV rally is a very important component of Pune AFC, as it would create awareness of the alternate fuel vehicles among the masses. We are so glad to see hundreds of participants in this rally.”

The EV exhibition at Sinchan Nagar will remain open from 11am to 8pm for all citizens on April 3, 4 and 5.

About the Pune Alternate Fuel Conclave 2022

The Pune Alternate Fuel Conclave (AFC), an initiative of the Government of Maharashtra, is being organised by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), in association with Maratha Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) from 2nd to 5th April 2022, in Pune.

The objectives of the Conclave include:

To attract investment in alternate fuels & clean mobility in Maharashtra by positioning the state as a domain leader
To provide a platform for dialogue between key stakeholders on clean mobility technologies
To create an awareness among the masses about clean mobility initiatives across the globe
To help design and conceptualize a pathway for promoting clean mobility solutions