Delhiites may get electric bike, car, bus before December this year says Gadkari

Delhiites may not have to wait till 2030 to own electric vehicles like bike and car, they might be able to buy them and charge at home before the end of this year, according to India’s Transport Minister.

“You may get electric bike, car, bus before this December in Delhi,” said Nitin Gadkari in a conversation with Barkha Dutt.

Nagpur is the only city that has gone electric. It became India’s first city with the electric fleet of 200 electric vehicles, including taxis, buses, e-rickshaw, and autos. Gadkari, along with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had inaugurated India’s first multi-modal electric vehicle project at the Nagpur Airport Complex.

The government is also making 200 parking stations in the city. Govt eyes made-in-India Lithium-ion batteries to lower cost of electric vehicles.

The govt is engaged in initial talks with SoftBank for loans at the low-interest rate for a green project. It aims to introduce two lakh electric buses for public transport. “Electric, ethanol, CNG pollution-free alternative are my priorities”, said Gadkari.

Taxi aggregator Ola has already invested upwards of Rs 50 crore towards EVs and charging infrastructure, starting with 50 plus charging points across four strategic locations in Nagpur.

Gadkari said the target is to reduce the ticket fare of public transport by 50% in the country and charging these vehicles will not be an issue as charging stations are being set up.

The automobile industry worth around Rs 4.5 lakh crore, is estimated to grow to Rs 25 lakh crore.

In order to promote eco-friendly transport, the govt is working on electric vehicle policy and said to be ready by December. According to latest reports, a group of ministers constituted to prepare the draft plan for the electric vehicle policy, has submitted recommendations to the cabinet secretary and is now preparing the draft plan. Many home-grown companies have shown interest in investing in electric vehicles and the related infrastructure.

Many home-grown companies have shown interest in investing in electric vehicles and the related infrastructure.

Besides, from April 1, all of India moves to Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) vehicular emission norms, which already in place in several parts of the country. The fuel sector has said it is committed to the move, but sections of the auto sector continue to lobby hard for a relaxation in the deadline, citing the need to liquidate unsold stock with older emissions technology.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), while the inventory of cars (20,000 units) may not be that high, the projected unsold stock for trucks and buses, 3-wheelers, and 2-wheelers by March 31, 2017, is about 75,000, 45,000 and 750,000 units respectively.