Govt to introduce subsidy for EV charging infrastructure

Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar said that the centre is working to amend the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME II) policy to introduce a subsidy for companies looking to set up electric vehicle charging hubs across India, which will then be given to the state electricity distribution companies.

“We will provide subsidy to companies who will set up charging infrastructure for public transport in small towns, and cities,” he said. The secretary added that to set up a 200-KW charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, a subsidy of around Rs 4-5 lakh will be provided.

The secretary added that oil marketing companies will be setting up electric vehicle charging infrastructure across national highways and are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of the new planned subsidy.

Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said that efforts should be made to discourage use of personal vehicles, while emphasizing that with the coming of electric buses there will be a reduction in pollution and the country will be able to reduce import of diesel and crude oil.

The minister said that the prices of EVs will be on par with the cost of petrol vehicles in the country within one or two years. Earlier this week, Gadkari asked officials of his department to look for a uniform charging system for electric buses manufactured by different companies.