[TusharK]

According to a media report, electric vehicles (EVs) could get green coloured number plates. The Niti Aayog, which drafts policies for the Government of India, has come up with this proposal.

The draft policy prepared by the Niti Aayog also proposes that electric vehicles be given toll waivers and free parking for three years. Additionally, the policy proposes that 10% of the parking space at residential, commercial and office buildings be reserved for EVs.

In India, there are six different types of license plates currently in use. Private cars use white plates with black text while commercial vehicles use yellow plates with black text. Vehicles with black plates and yellow text are used by rental or self-drive vehicles. Embassy vehicles bear license plates with white text on a light blue background while vehicles used by the President of India and Governors of states have red plates. Vehicles belonging to the armed forces have their own unique numbering system.

The Government of India has set 2030 as the deadline to replace fossil fuel-powered cars with EVs. It will certainly be an uphill task and would require huge investments in infrastructure. However, a report by the Niti Aayog suggests that the move is likely to reduce the demand for fossil fuels by 64% and bring down carbon emissions by 37%.

Source: The Economic Times

[GTO]

I like the idea of green number-plates. Perfect colour & instant identification of an EV.

The government should bring onboard some marketing / image consultants and position the 'green' number-plates as something premium, something cool, something to aspire to. Image matters. People should want to be seen with a green number-plate (just like how a lot of people loved to arrive at a party in a Prius).

[arunphilip]

Free parking will make it an instant hit with the city crowd! :-)

Toll waivers sounds nice, but it does open the questions of a) vehicle range and b) which toll gates? Only NHAI ones, or others operated under BOT as well? c) Can our nation ever enforce a dedicated lane to allow them to pass through without queueing up?!

The 3 year limit on these perks will also trigger a tendency for people to use that as an upgrade/replacement trigger, which (coincidentally?) aligns with the typically estimated lifespan of battery packs. It would be a smart company that rolls out a lease plan tailored around such a schedule.

I wish these sops also extend to the taxation policy, by placing minimal tax on them until 2025 or so - to get sufficient customer momentum, which will also drive expansion.

I also sincerely hope that these perks are limited to true EVs, and not any mild hybrid powertrains, else we'll see manufacturers "cheating" by doing the minimum possible to get the perk to use as a selling point for a model.

[bigron]

They really need to formulate an elaborate policy to convince people that EV is the next big thing and that shifting to one is a beneficial proposition in the long run. Best way is to dole out subsidiaries/freebies/and definitely toll waiver/parking options for people so they get convinced that this is a viable alternative. Also, manufacturers need to know that they are rewarded for bringing in EV vehicles.

[i74js]

Free tolls will have its merits and demerits.

1. Range obviously is a major issue and thus usage of free toll facility beyond city limits would be a challenge among the users unless we have Nissan Leaf / Tesla etc. available in the market with sufficient intercity range

2. There is no dedicated toll lane required for EVs; the proposal has addressed this issue through complementary FastTag for EVs wherein no value would be deducted from the user account for a specified period. Toll free usage has been proposed for both inter and intra city drives.

This certainly is a good move

[Shreyans_Jain]

All this sounds good but the EV movement in India will not get much traction until we get genuinely competent EVs which can match conventional cars on utility and price. For eg, the Tata Bolt goes for 6L. Will I buy a Bolt EV with a 150km range for 11L? I won't.

Government needs to do more than just throw bread crumbs at electrics. Policy should be clear - zero or 5% GST on EVs along with road tax exemption. That will get the message through. They should also give strong incentives for setting up of lithium ion battery plants in India.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Free parking will make it an instant hit with the city crowd! Toll waivers sounds nice...

These will just be *introductory offers*. It's not sustainable. Think of the loss of revenue when we have thousands of EVs on our roads.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Will I buy a Bolt EV with a 150km range for 11L?

Both your concerns should be sorted in 5 - 6 years. Every year, the range of EVs is increasing and in another 5 years, I expect even regular EVs to offer 350 - 500 km on a charge.

Read about an Auto CEO saying somewhere that the price of EVs will be comparable to turbo-diesel ATs by 2025 (i.e. 2 lakh rupees over a petrol MT). We shouldn't overlook the fact that all EVs are Automatics, and an AT car commands a 1 lakh price premium over its MT sibling (proper AT, not AMT).

[blackwasp]

Had though just the same a couple of months back!

Originally Posted by blackwasp

However, rather than forcing us to get EVs, why not do something on these lines -
1. No tax on all-electric vehicles (including import duties).
2. Incentive to builders to incorporate parking lots with electric charges.
3. Free parking for EVs but expensive / no parking for others in prime area.

...
On a funnier note - just the exemption of the entry toll in Mumbai for electric cars will see people flocking to buy those in Mumbai in hordes.

The electric car market need a serious push in the form of publicity + subsidies / other benefits. Unless people perceive the cars to be cool, or have a significant cost saving, they won't be picked up.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I went to see an e20 and check it out as a secondary car. Despite the tech, unique design, etc., I was unable to digest the price of the car. My friend meanwhile picked up a WagonR CNG for 5.07 lakh on road. The WagonR offers cheap running cost (<Rs. 2 per km), fuss free ownership (MSIL), and no range anxiety (top up with petrol anytime you want). On the other hand, both the e20 and WagonR CNG offer a similar range on one change/tankful(CNG) but the electric car is twice the cost. Yes, the road tax is waived off, but then it's still a costly affair.

For the common man, cost still is a big factor.

[veedub89]

This could be a step in the right direction, but this is not even a patch on what is the single biggest hindrance to the adoption of electric cars in our country. That would be the high initial cost.
The second hindrance, for some, is the lack of charging points. I say, for some because in my city, Chandigarh, where the distances are not that much, I can easily plan my "charges" and do my daily chores. This will obviously not be true for people in Delhi, Mumbai etc.

The first issue is what demands the max attention. Elsewhere on the forum, there is talk of electric/hybrid vehicles being the majority choice for new car buyers in Norway. This is due to the incentives already introduced by the Norwegian government. Now, Norway has a target of 2025 for complete electrification. We have a target of just 5 years after that, in 2030 and our government is still working on the modalities. Some of the babus don't even consider hybrids as something they need to focus on. They want to eat the fruit, without even planting the tree first.

Free parking and toll waivers will help but I doubt anyone right now is gonna buy a car just so that they can save Rs. 10 on parking and Rs. 100 while on the highway.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The draft policy prepared by the Niti Aayog also proposes that electric vehicles be given toll waivers and free parking for three years. Additionally, the policy proposes that 10% of the parking space at residential, commercial and office buildings be reserved for EVs.

I would like to see free charging made available near toll gates rather than toll waivers, it will serve the purpose more efficiently and also improve the infrastructure near toll gates.

[libranof1987]

A good start, I'd say.

While a good number of people would want to proactively buy affordable EVs just so to contribute towards environmental conservation; a generous amount of sops will be needed to get them mass acceptance.

These proposals are in line with what can help achieve the eventual goal; the most important thing, I believe, is having a very good network of charging stations across the city.

Unfortunately our road infrastructure doesn't allow dedicated lanes for EVs. I know several colleagues who bought EVs in the US just so to speed up their commute (by almost a half!) to office on these dedicated EV/carpool lanes.

Parking/toll waivers aren't that much of a big deal in India yet. We haven't reached that stage as in cities such as New York and San Francisco where you'd have to pay $500/month as residential parking charges or where street parking is $5/hour.

Make it affordable and convenient and you'll have takers.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Just a couple of weeks ago, I went to see an e20 and check it out as a secondary car. Despite the tech, unique design, etc.,.

For me, the fit and finish and the ugly design is not worth the money. Tesla fit and finish is not exactly up there with the Germans but the overall design makes up for it.

Again, these are subsidies to encourage a behaviour or a migration to a new technology. In London, Electric/ Hybrids used to be exempt fron the congestion charge, now they are no longer exempt although they do pay a lower rate. Thats why the e2O bombed.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

The electric car market need a serious push in the form of publicity + subsidies / other benefits. Unless people perceive the cars to be cool, or have a significant cost saving, they won't be picked up.

Rather than the publicity push, I would rather prefer a push for better range (200Kms+), better Cruising Speed etc.

The existing offerings in the EV market in India are languishing at 100-110 Kms odd range (Maximum) with a paltry 80 Kmph Top Speed.

[SJM1214]

Recently bumped into the official website of SMEV ( Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicle). As per SMEV, The government is inviting comments, suggestions, possible solutions to the challenges in implementing and sustaining Zero-emission mobility solutions.

Please find attached PDF. (Source: http://www.smev.in/industry-news)

[TusharK]

In January 2018, the Niti Aayog had come up with a proposal to introduce green coloured license plates for electric vehicles (EVs). The draft policy has now received an approval from the Government of India in a bid to increase the number of electric vehicles on road.



According to Nitin Gadkari, Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways, green plates with white font will be for private EVs, while green plates with yellow font will be reserved for taxis. Green boards will be introduced to differentiate between EVs and other vehicles easily. It has been proposed that EVs could get benefits like preferential treatment in parking, free entry into congested zones and concession on tolls.

The government could also ask cab aggregators to maintain an incremental share of EV vehicles in its fleet from 2020 onwards. This incremental share is expected to be set at 1%. The same rule may be applied to public transport operators. Permit exemptions for e-buses, e-taxis, e-autos and e-bikes is also being looked into.

The rate of depreciation on EVs could be set at 50% as opposed to 15% for conventional vehicles. The government is also looking at reducing the GST on batteries to 12%.

The proposal includes allowing teenagers in the age group of 16-18 to ride e-scooters. As per the current law, those in this age group are granted a license to ride gearless scooters under 50 cc.

Source: News18

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