Allowing sale of EVs without pre-fitted battery not well thought-out move: Mahindra Electric

Mahindra Electric on Thursday lashed out at the government's move to allow sale and registration of electric vehicles (EV) without pre-fitted batteries, saying no country in the world allows such a system and the step has not been thought through.

Mahindra Electric on Thursday lashed out at the government's move to allow sale and registration of electric vehicles (EV) without pre-fitted batteries, saying no country in the world allows such a system and the step has not been thought through. The government on Wednesday allowed sale and registration of electric vehicles without factory-fitted batteries, which account for about 30-40 per cent of the total cost of EVs, and also stated that the batteries can be provided separately by companies. "No country in the world allows registration of EV's without battery. We will explain the government that this notification has created confusion," Mahindra Electric MD and CEO Mahesh Babu said in a statement. He further said up to the sale of the vehicle, the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) is responsible for the safety of the vehicle. For a vehicle that is tested, manufactured and sold as an integrated unit, the OEM is responsible for the warranty. "Either charging or swapping is post sale charge replenishing methods. Both can exist in the current framework. This move has not been thought through and the industry has not been consulted," he added. While allowing registration of electric vehicles without pre-fitted batteries, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in a letter to Transport Secretaries of all the states and UTs had clarified that vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered based on the type approval certificate issued by a 'Test Agency'. The ministry had also stated that there is no need to specify the make/type or any other details of the battery for the purpose of registration. However, it said the prototype of the electric vehicle and the battery (regular or swappable) are required to be type-approved by the test agencies specified under Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

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