Chinese firm to launch pilot electric car project in Amritsar

Chinese major Zhuhai Yinlong has proposed to launch a pilot project to run electric cars and buses in Amritsar and to set up an electrical vehicle manufacturing facility in Punjab.
The company will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Punjab government through ZTEsoft Technologies to facilitate the state in getting financial assistance for a series of programmes and projects.
A delegation of Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Co Ltd led by its Chief Executive Officer, India, Alex Li today called on Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Programmes and projects including smart technologies, venture funding, development in the areas of IT, incubation and startup activities, ePragati, among others, were discussed in the meeting, an official release said.

The company also made a proposal to provide mobile handsets for the Captain Amarinder smart phone scheme, which the state government is all set to launch to implement a key pre-poll promise, the release said.
Giving details of the proposal for running electric buses and cars in the state, it said Yinlong will launch the scheme with a demonstration/pilot project in Amritsar, to be extended to smart cities of Jalandhar and Ludhiana in the next phase.

The scheme is proposed to be launched on the lines of similar schemes already implemented in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh under a lease model, which enables revenue generation through sale of tickets on commercial electric vehicles, the release said.

To popularise the concept of energy vehicles, Li informed the Chief Minister that the company would press several such demo vehicles into service in these cities so as to make the commuters familiar with the product.
Li also put forward a proposal for a viable business model to set up electrical vehicle manufacturing factory in the state.
The Chief Minister offered the company help in setting up an electric car factory and said the Congress government was formulating a policy to encourage the use of electric cars, which were not energy-saving and environment-friendly.
He also offered local partnerships for the company to promote use of electric vehicles for commercial and personal use.

Singh, according to the release, said many industrial honchos from across the country like Mahindras, Tatas, Ambanis were already in touch with the state government to make investments here.
The project to manufacture electric vehicles by Mahindras was already under active consideration of the state government and soon it would be materialised, Amarinder informed.
On the request of the Chief Minister, Li also showed huge interest in setting up joint ventures in the field of telecommunications, computers and IT sector to boost the economy of Punjab.
He also extended an invite to Capt Amarinder to visit China to further explore the potential of investment in the state through interaction with the top industrial houses of the neighbouring country.