[rakesh_r]

The state govt has announced a 100% toll exemption for electric four-wheeler passenger vehicles and EV buses on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi Highway, and Atal Setu for five years.
This was part of the new Electric Vehicle policy, 2025, unveiled by the government and cleared by the cabinet.

Excellent move, I say, particularly for those who frequently use the Mumbai-Pune expressway, and more importantly, the Atal Sethu. The current toll of the Mumbai-Pune corridor is way too expensive.

[antz.bin]

All kinds of incentives are now available for EVs in Maharashtra

1. Road tax waiver
2. Directive for societies and RWAs that they cannot deny chargers in the parking
3. Lower electricity tariff for EV/Green meters compared to domestic connection bringing down running costs even further
4. Rollback of road tax proposed in the last state budget
5. And now Toll exemptions on all expressways

Why did they skip the toll exemption on Bandra Worli Sea Link? Should have included that as well to nudge regular users to make the switch.

[carjack3090]

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[handsofsteel]

Maharashtra's new EV Policy


Per the document that has just been released, a 10% subsidy is being given to private 2/4 wheel vehicles. Does this mean the ex-showroom goes down by 10%? If yes, it is great news for prospective buyers.

https://e-vehicleinfo.com/new-mahara...olicy-details/

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

The state govt has announced a 100% toll exemption for electric four-wheeler passenger vehicles and EV buses on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi Highway, and Atal Setu for five years.
This was part of the new Electric Vehicle policy, 2025, unveiled by the government and cleared by the cabinet.

Although I welcome the news, quick thoughts which come to my mind are:
1. Will this reduce the pain of travelling in the Pune Eway which seems to get choked at the drop of the hat.
2. Will this put an additional burden on the fossil fuel vehicles who will have to bear the maintenance costs in form of hiked toll fee. The toll fee is already a steep one presently.
3. Is the charging infrastructure on the exempted highways sufficient to cater to the expected increase of EVs using them?

[Enthurious]

Is this exemption already in place or its going to be applicable in near future. Is there any forms to be filled or any changes to be done to the existing fast tag?

[Mortis]

Has that other toll scheme been launched yet ? The one where you can pay a fixed amount for 1 year or 15 years then use it unlimitedly ?
I forgot what it's called

[Hayek]

Does anyone know the status of chargers on the Samruddhi Mahamarg? Planning a weekend trip once it is open - and will use the Ioniq if charging is good enough!

[late_enthusiast]

No. That's not how subsidy works. Customers will still have to pay full amount to Dealer and then claim the subsidy from Govt.

Only change in Price from May onwards could be that there is a price increase or less discounts from Manufacturer and Dealer as they know the price is subsidized. So net effect might not be much.

[invidious]

Now there is some new policy in place waiving tolls on multiple roads like Atal Setu and offering a 10% subsidy on private EV sales

[GTO]

Whoa! This toll waiver will get massive publicity and really brings a benefit you can cash in on today. Just go for a lovely drive on the Atal Setu, enjoy the views and feel great about your green number-plate car.

This makes EVs even more cost-effective. But more than that, toll waiver is a special privilege, otherwise reserved only for politicians & the Armed Forces. It's a "feel good" factor and EVs sure need all the boosting they can get today.

Kudos to the MH government for their continued support of Electric Cars.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Although I welcome the news, quick thoughts which come to my mind are:
1. Will this reduce the pain of travelling in the Pune Eway which seems to get choked at the drop of the hat.
2. Will this put an additional burden on the fossil fuel vehicles who will have to bear the maintenance costs in form of hiked toll fee. The toll fee is already a steep one presently.
3. Is the charging infrastructure on the exempted highways sufficient to cater to the expected increase of EVs using them?

1- The "missing link" is around 95% complete. Once it's open and there should be some improvement with the new toll collection process. The current pain point is the slope near Amrutanjan where trucks find it difficult to keep pace.
2- I don't think so, they had already rolled back the proposed hike.
3- Nope, the current charging infra is grossly inadequate. As per the plan, they would be beefing up the charging infrastructure.

[Ays7]

I think instead of going completely EV way, the Government should come up with similar benefits for strong hybrids as well. The EV charging infrastructure is still not at a level that can support critical mass. One needs to study if our electricity grids are sustainable enough to handle lakhs of fast charging cars in peak hours without tripping the grid. Strong hybrids can act as a bridge between the transition to EV's from fossil fuel vehicles and should be encouraged by way of benefits. Bulk of our power still comes from coal, and they need to transition to cleaner sources for power generation as well, but that is a topic for some other time. However, right now, we do need efficient planning for the transition to EV rather than something that is ad-hoc and reactive, rather then proactive.

Just my two cents.

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by GTO

This toll waiver will get massive publicity and really brings a benefit you can cash in on today. Just go for a lovely drive on the Atal Setu, enjoy the views and feel great about your green number-plate car.

Well, this is India. Just got back from Pune in my Atto 3 and was charged toll not just on the expressway but also on the Atal Setu. I asked the attendant at the second toll booth toward Mumbai, and as expected, he said there's been no official directive from the government or his seniors. He suggested I could stop and check with the office if I wanted to escalate.

He seemed pretty fed up, honestly. Said he’s been dealing with a stream of EV owners who are frustrated about being charged despite the exemption news.

Looks like it’ll take a few more days (or weeks) for things to actually roll out on the ground.

[itwasntme]

I guess the official notification needs to be issued first.

By the way, do EV FASTags have a special 'class' or marker, i.e. something that will identify them as an EV when energized by the RFID readers?