An expression of interest (EoI) has been issued by Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), to empanel original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to supply electric three-wheelers (e-rickshaws) in India. Designing, engineering, manufacturing, testing, inspecting, supplying, transporting, and providing complete system warranty and after-sales support would be included in the scope of work. The deadline for bid submissions is July 26, 2021, and the bids will be opened on that date. On July 13, a pre-bid meeting will be held. CESL will deploy the e-rickshaws under the needs of the end-users and product availability to meet the functional requirements within the seven-day timeframe specified in the letter of award. All micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are exempt from paying the security deposit if they can show proof of registration as an MSE (with the validity date) with any of the agencies listed in the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises notification. According to the company, MSE suppliers will receive 25% of the tender quantity. MSEs owned by Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs will be eligible for 4% of the reserved percentage, while MSEs owned by women will be eligible for 3%. The OEM must be an e-rickshaw manufacturer and not be on any government agency or public sector undertaking's blacklist to participate in the bidding process. The OEM should have experience producing at least 100 e-rickshaws per year. Moreover, the OEM must have sold a minimum of 500 e-rickshaws per year or a total of 1,000 e-rickshaws in the previous three years. Alternatively, for pure electric vehicle-based businesses, the OEM must have sold at least 100 e-rickshaws since the company's inception. The OEM's product must meet the functional and technical requirements outlined in the EoI. According to the document, as a designated agency, EESL will aggregate demand for 300,000 e-rickshaws from various user segments. The Department of Heavy Industries had previously announced some changes to the FAME-II programme. For multiple user segments, demand aggregation has been identified as the key to bringing the upfront cost of e-rickshaws down to parity with internal combustion engine vehicles. Image Source Also read: Hinduja Group's EV arm Switch Mobility has been officially launched Also read: E-mobility: Siemens, Switch Mobility partner for projects in India