3/3/2019
PUNE: Hybrid
and electric vehicles (EV) manufacturers in Asia’s third biggest car market
have welcomed the 10-fold rise in the assistance package announced by the
Centre to promote 'greener mobility' in the country.
On February 28, the cabinet committee of economic affairs
(CCEA) approved Rs 10,000 crore packages under the second phase of Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) for three
financial years.
FAME-I, which had started in 2015, had a total outlay of Rs
895 crore. Under this scheme, apart from providing direct subsidy to buyers of
electric vehicles and charging stations, the government will be setting up
seven technical know-how and testing centres across the country for certifying
electric vehicles.
According to industry data, nearly 55,000 electric
two-wheelers were sold during 2017-18, a growth of 138 per cent compared to
2016-17. FAME-I provides incentives ranging between Rs 7,500 to Rs 22,000 on
battery-powered two-wheelers. However, sales of electric cars fell 40 per cent
to 1,200 units during 2017-18 compared to 2016-17.
Only two electric cars (e-Verito and E20) are on sale at
present and both are from utility vehicle specialist Mahindra & Mahindra.
"The government package will provide a big fillip to our joint efforts to
introduce higher levels of electric mobility in the country," Rajan
Wadhera, president at Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers or SIAM, a top
trade body, said in a statement.
For over two years, the industry has been waiting for the
announcement of a long term policy including the FAME II Scheme to be
finalized, he said. The industry is poised to make huge investments in
manufacturing EVs in all categories of vehicles and developing an indigenous
supply chain to ensure Make in India. Wadhera said the three-year scheme would instill tremendous
confidence in the auto and component industry while taking long-term investment
decisions.
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