Medium and heavy passenger EVs increased to 1,356 units till date: Nitin Gadkari

The number of medium and heavy passenger electric vehicles has increased from 124 in 2018 to 1,356 to date, said the union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari in Parliament. He also said that number of electric vehicles, registered for transport of cargo has increased from 6,246 in 2018 to 27,645 to date.

Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme has been one of the most ambitious strategies for the central government to promote electric mobility in the country. During the first phase of the FAME scheme, 425 electric buses were supported, as Gadkari claimed.

Later on, 6,265 electric buses to 65 cities and state transport undertaking units for intra-city and inter-city operations were sanctioned by the ministry of heavy industries.

The government has been pushing zero-emission mobility in India for quite some time. Besides the pure electric vehicles, the government is also emphasizing alternative fuel solutions. Just a few days ago, Gadkari asked the country's auto industry officials to focus on shifting to flex-fuel engines within one year.

FAME scheme has been instrumental in promoting electric mobility in India. However, the FAME-II is more focused on public transportation and electrifying the last-mile mobility solutions. The government has a few days ago increased the incentives for the electric vehicles under FAME-II to further accelerate the EV drive in the country.

Meanwhile, Gadkari also said that the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) is being implemented on Delhi-Vadodara Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, other expressways and access-controlled highways in India.