Planning to buy an EV or CNG car? Expect cheaper prices in West Bengal soon

West Bengal government in its state budget 2022 has proposed exemption of registration fee and road tax for electric and CNG vehicles, giving a fillip to a seamless transition to cleaner fuel-driven mobility in the state. The move comes to encourage the consumers to buy electric vehicles and CNG powered vehicles as well. The exemption on registration fee and road tax for EV and CNG vehicles will be applicable on both two-wheelers and passenger cars as well.

The state government has proposed the exemption of registration fees and road tax for the next two years, starting from 2022-23 financial year. This comes as the biggest budgetary push for green fuel ever since the EV policy was announced last year that promised a shift to cleaner fuel.

With this move, the electric vehicles and CNG vehicles in the state are expected to become cheaper from the upcoming financial year. The rise in petrol and diesel prices have prompted many consumers to opt for electric mobility. Considering the cheaper price of CNG and its cost-effectiveness compared to petrol and diesel, CNG vehicles too are finding an increasing number of takers in the state. Several electric two-wheeler manufacturers have been already selling their products in the state. Apart from that electric car and CNG car manufacturers too sell their products in the state, which are expected to see a drop in price in the coming months, helping in sales boost.

West Bengal aims to promote electric mobility through its EV policy that has proposed setting up rapid EV charging stations every 25 km. The state government proposed inter-city electric mobility between Kolkata, Asansol and Digha. The West Bengal government also aims to transform its bus fleet to CNG powered models and electric vehicles by 2030, in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions significantly.