In a bid to encourage electric vehicles in the state, the Maharashtra government is reportedly offering subsidies of up to Rs. 1 Lakh on their purchase.
According to ET buyers can get subsidies of Rs 5,000, Rs 12,000 and Rs 1 lakh on new two-, three- and four-wheelers, respectively.
The state government is also encouraging establishment of electric vehicle charging stations in the state offering incentive of up to Rs 10 lakh. These EV charging stations will have to be set up in public and private parking lots, fuel pumps, bus stops or railway stations.
One can register for subsidies online. The vehicle incentivised cannot be sold outside the stat for a minimum of five years from the date of registration.
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An official from the industries department speaking to the publication on condition of anonymity said “Electric vehicles are the transport mode of the future as they are environment-friendly. Few automobile companies have rolled out electric vehicles. Hence the government decided to offer subsidies.”
Last year only the state government opened the automobile market to battery-operated vehicles. A pilot project of electric autorickshaws was also launched in the same year in Nagpur, which received a good response.
According to the rules, “only new battery-operated electric vehicles sold and registered in Maharashtra will be offered incentives. Individual buyers will be eligible for incentives only once in each category, that is, two-, three- and four-wheelers during the policy period.”
The biggest barriers for EV adoption is the charging time and availability of charging stations, it will be interesting to see if the people in the state readily embraces the new automotive tech after the subsidy from the state government .
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