Maharashtra unveils NEW electric vehicle (EV) policy! KEY THINGS TO KNOW

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced its new electric vehicle (EV) policy with an aim of making such vehicles achieve 10 per cent share of total registrations by 2025.

The new policy, which has updated the one announced in 2018, was released by Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Ashish Singh and state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray and others here.

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"The policy has some ambitious targets. Electric vehicles must comprise at least 10 per cent of total vehicles registered by 2025. We also want to achieve 25 per cent EV share in public transport in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik. It includes converting 15 per cent of the MSRTC fleet into EVs by 2025. We also intend to make Maharashtra the top producer of battery driven EVs in India in terms of annual production capability," Singh said.

He said another target laid down in the new policy was to establish one gigawatt of battery manufacturing capability in the state.

Speaking on the occasion, minister Thackeray said the conventional fuel-based passenger vehicle market may be hesitant as engines are getting upgraded in Euro-IV and V models but a major change can be brought about in the public transport sector by tapping MSRTC and civic-run undertakings for the EV initiative.

"The Union government's FAME-II policy and Maharashtra's new EV policy can be combined for greater effectiveness. We are trying to set up EV charging stations in these five major cities though several incentives, with residential and office areas being on the priority list to set up EV charging stations," Thackeray said.

He brushed aside a query on whether EV manufacturer Tesla was being contacted by the state government to be part of this sector by claiming that "a state cannot endorse a single car making company".

"We are in talks with all EV makers. Some 73-74 per cent ancillary makers of such vehicles are in Maharashtra. If any company conducts a study, they will naturally find Maharashtra a preferred destination in terms of ancillary suppliers as well as purchasers of such vehicles," the minister said.