The Indian government’s Niti Aayog wants ‘Special Privileges’ for electric cars

The Indian government’s think tank – Niti Aayog – wants special privileges for electric cars. Through these privileges, the Niti Aayog hopes that more people would opt for electric cars. This is expected to reduce India’s crude oil import bill and also air pollution.

Meanwhile, here are the three special privileges that the draft policy prepared by the Niti Aayog has proposed for electric vehicles.

1. Three-year free parking

2. Toll waivers

3. 10 % parking space reservation at residential, shopping, and office complexes

Apart from these privileges, electric vehicles already benefit from a low, 12 % excise duty, the lowest charged on any vehicle sold in India. Many states such as Karnataka and Maharashtra also offer large benefits like road tax exemption and subsidies for electric cars. More states are expected to follow suit as electric cars become more commonplace in India.

The Indian government is also working on a new electric vehicle policy called National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2 (NEMMP2). The NEMMP2 is expected to solidify the various privileges that the Niti Aayog has proposed in its draft policy for electric cars. In India, electric vehicles will have green registration plates, giving them a distinct identity on the road.

Presently, there are only two electric vehicles sold in India – the Mahindra E2O and the eVerito. Tata is expected to introduce the Tigor Electric in India sometime in 2018. Hyundai will showcase the Kona Electric at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo, followed by an official launch by the end of this year.

Mahindra is also expected to launch more electric vehicles in the coming years. The KUV100 Electric will start Mahindra’s new journey into electric vehicles, followed by the XUV500 Aero S201 compact SUV Electrics. Other automakers such as Maruti and Renault have also announced that they’ll launch electric cars by 2020. The Renault Kwid Electric has already been confirmed by Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault-Nissan.

Via ETAuto