Maharashtra Gives EV Adoption a Boost

THE 2021 MAHARASHTRA ELECTRIC VEHICLE policy is a revision of the policy that was introduced back in 2018 with the aim to make the state the highest producer of batterypowered electric vehicles in India. The state government is looking at EVs to make up 10 per cent of all new vehicle registrations by 2025. It has announced that EVs will be exempt from road tax and registration charges and has also rolled out a Rs 930-crore policy that will be valid till 31 March 2025.

As part of the revised Maharashtra EV policy 2021, electric two-wheelers currently account for the largest share of incentives, as the government expects them to make up 10 per cent of all new vehicle registrations in the state by 2025. The state has laid down guidelines that will offer a subsidy to the customers buying the first one lakh electric two-wheelers. These customers will be eligible for an incentive of Rs 5,000 per kWh of battery capacity. This incentive limit goes up to Rs 10,000, which is twice the previously announced cap of Rs 5,000.

Furthermore, there is an incentive of Rs 15,000 for an electric two-wheeler with a three-kWh battery pack bought before December 2021. This brings the total incentive benefit up to Rs 25,000.

With road tax and registration cost removed from the picture, the on-road prices of EVs will come closer to their ex-showroom cost. There’s also a scrappage incentive of Rs 7,000 on offer. To save buyers the trouble of co-ordinating with government offices to receive their subsidy, all of the incentives will be handed directly to the manufacturers of these vehicles. Manufacturers of e-two-wheelers will additionally receive an incentive of up to Rs 12,000 if they provide a minimum five-year warranty on the battery and an assured buyback scheme.