The government panel will be tasked with issues related to electric mobility in the country
The government is formulating a policy for electric vehicles (EVs) as it looks to meet its 2030 target set for EVs while also controlling pollution and saving foreign exchange.
It has sought comments and suggestions from all stakeholders such as ministries of oil & gas, transport, heavy industry, power and others. Besides, it is also planning to set up a committee for developing an institutional framework for the same.
The development comes on the backdrop of India's National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, which aims to put 6 million electric vehicles on roads by 2020 while the central government has said that all vehicles produced in the country after 2030 have to be electric.
The panel will be tasked with issues related to electric mobility, including setting up of charging stations across the country, especially in big cities, manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries in India and subsidising the cost of electric vehicles on a long-term basis until their cost of production comes down to boost their sales and encourage automakers.
As per a report released by centre's think tank Niti Aayog earlier this month, the accelerated adoption of electric and shared vehicles could save about $60 billion in diesel and petrol costs while cutting down as much as 1 gigatonne (gt) of carbon emissions for India by 2030. This would result in an annual diesel and petrol reduction of 156 million tonne of oil equivalent, resulting in a net saving of approximately Rs 3.9 lakh crore in fuel cost.
Though the vehicle manufacturers are sceptical about the 2030 deadline due to lack of existing infrastructure in the country, many of them have begun the ground work.
According to analysts, the year 2020 is going to be the landmark for EVs as many of the automobile manufacturers operating in India will begin rolling out their pure electric models in the country, albeit in smaller numbers.
Japanese car makers Toyota and rival Suzuki on Friday announced their plans to launch their first electric car together by 2020. Maruti-Suzuki, the Indian subsidiary of Suzuki Corporation, is likely to benefit immensely from it.
On the other hand, luxury carmakers including Audi, Mercedes, BMW, JLR are already working on bringing the EVs in the Indian market by 2020.
Another Japanese company Nissan is said to be planning a trial in India for its EV car Leaf which it expects to commercially launch by 2020.
The centre has recently invited proposals from cities with a population of above 10 lakh for extending grants under the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in India) scheme to promote large-scale adoption of EVs (electric vehicles) in multi-modal public transport.
With an aim to promote the eco-friendly vehicles, the government had launched the FAME India scheme in 2015 offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.
TIME TO CHARGE
- The government panel will be tasked with issues related to electric mobility in the country
- Luxury carmakers are already working on bringing the EVs in the Indian market by 2020
(With inputs from PTI)
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 "Electric vehicles")
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