At a recent meeting with the Nti Ayog Chairman BVR Subrahmanyam, Electric Vehicle (EV) makers urged that the States be asked to lift the limitation on permits for such vehicles as it is restricting the companies in selling more vehicles. The Niti Ayog Chairman reportedly told the industry leaders not to expect any more subsidies.
Under the Prime Minister Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme, Centre has allocated ₹10,900 crore for subsidies, which came into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain in force until March 31, 2026.
The vehicle manufacturers reportedly said while the government can discontinue the subsidies on two/three-wheelers after the PM E-DRIVE scheme expires in 2026, the Centre should persuade State governments to lift the limitation on permits that restrict sale of vehicles.
Public charging infra
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Bajaj Auto, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ola, Ather, Omega Seiki, and so on, that were present in the meeting, said the government should rapidly deploy the public charging infrastructure so that the adoption of EVs also becomes faster in the country.
“The Niti Aayog CEO called the meeting to hear issues that the OEMs are facing under the scheme; most of the issues were related to State governments. For instance, the biggest issue was of permits for the electric three-wheelers and city-wise caps (limits) of such vehicles in some of the cities,” a government source privy to the meeting told businessline.
For instance, in cities like Agra, Jammu and Meerut, the proportion of electric three-wheelers is more than 60-70 per cent, but in many other cities, their proportion is less than 10-20 per cent because the administration does not allow more than that, the official said.
Even in Delhi, the restriction is for one-lakh electric-three wheelers. And, therefore, Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas has also said that it will approach the Supreme Court saying this restriction should not be applied to EVs, the official informed.
Also, the industry has shared that resident welfare associations (RWAs) in many States also do not allow charging stations in their buildings, which is another State subject so requested the Centre to come out with some guidelines on the same.
“The Niti Aayog CEO told us not to expect for any more subsidies for EVs from government, but said industry has to work hard to make EV adoption more viable to the buyers,” said an industry source privy to the meeting.
