New Delhi: The number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered on the e-Vahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has gone up to 56.75 lakh as of February 8 this year, while the total registered vehicles are 3,897.71 lakhs, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE scheme ensures accessibility and affordability of electric vehicles (EVs) through targeted subsidies and demand incentives for e-2Ws and e-3Ws on a pan-India basis including rural and semi-urban areas. The scheme also has an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for installation of EV charging infrastructure across the country and addressing the issue of range anxiety among EV buyers, the minister said in a written reply to a question.
The emphasis of the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, which is available till March 31, 2026, is on providing affordable and environment-friendly public transportation options for the masses. The scheme applies mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-trucks and other new emerging EV categories on a pan-India basis including Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, he explained.
Prioritising EVs for public transport and commercial use aims to provide environmentally friendly transportation options for the masses, thereby reducing overall emissions. By promoting electric mobility, the scheme intends to decrease dependence on fossil fuels and lower emissions from the transportation sector, the minister said.
The scheme aims to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles by reducing their upfront costs through demand incentives. A significant focus is on establishing a robust charging infrastructure network to build confidence among EV users and support the growing EV fleet.
The scheme also promotes the development of a local EV manufacturing ecosystem, ensuring long-term sustainability and reducing reliance on imports.
The PM E-Drive scheme has also launched the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) to support the localisation of EV components which promotes domestic manufacturing capabilities.
The scheme extended demand incentives of Rs 5,000 per kWh in FY 2024-25 and Rs 2,500 per kWh in FY 2025-26 are provided for e-2W and e-3W categories. These incentives are capped at 15 per cent of the ex-factory price.
The scheme has also allocated Rs 4,391 crore for the rollout of 14,028 e-buses. Priority is also being given in the scrapping policy for grants to deploy e-buses. Cities and states that procure new e-buses after scrapping old STU buses through authorised RVSFs are being preferred for the grants, the minister added.
(IANS)
