Electric vehicle makers urge govt to step up efforts for development of sector

Electric vehicle manufacturers on Friday said the government should come up with a concrete action plan and its time-bound implementation if the country aspires to become a leader in the transport revolution through electric vehicles (EVs). "We hope the government would soon announce a concrete plan of action with its time-bound implementation in order to fulfil its stated vision," Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) Director General Sohinder Gill said in a statement.

SMEV strongly feels that an initial high dose of incentives and actions must be taken in the next 1 or 2 years to relaunch the electric mobility mission that has run out of steam in recent years due to flip flop of policies, he added. SMEV's reaction comes after Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said India would lead the world in the transportation sector, with EVs and energy storage devices set to play a leading role in the segment.

Presenting the interim budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha, Goyal also said the use of such green technologies would help the country become self-reliant in terms of energy requirements. Lohia Auto Industries CEO Ayush Lohia said considering the environmental concerns, the company was expecting "something concrete in the 2019 budget".

"Moreover, to meet the target of 2030 the government needs to plan today instead of giving the electric vehicles a push at a later stage," he added. Avis India MD and CEO Sunil Gupta said the Budget was largely silent on concrete incentives for EVs.

"But we hope that in the next FAME policy, the government will spell out incentives for all stakeholders in the EV ecosystem - manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers and operators," he added. Toyota Kirloskar Motor Vice Chairman & Whole-time Director Shekar Viswanathan applauded the government on EV drive towards reducing fuel import.

"We would further continue our concerted efforts in this direction to boost sustainable mobility to enhance ever-better and comfortable living of the society. The vehicle emission-based tax regime would boost this EV vision, towards achieving a cleaner and greener environment," he noted. Twenty-Two Motors Co-Founder and CEO Parveen Kharb said the import duty reduction on electric vehicle components will further reinforce and lead to wider acceptance of electric vehicles.

(With inputs from agencies.)