Meghalaya EV policy aims to have 20,000 electric vehicles in the state by 2025

The Meghalaya government has become the latest to announce a dedicated EV policy that targets 15% electric vehicle penetration by 2025. The northeastern state plans to have around 20,000 electric vehicles within five year period. Under the Meghalaya EV policy, the state government will provide incentives to a limited number of early EV adopters.

The Meghalaya Electric Vehicle Policy 2021 will come into effect from April 1, 2021, and will be operational operation for the next five years. As the policy claims, this move will save about 50 lakh litres of fuel, resulting in a reduction of about 10,000 kg of CO2 emission daily. This means the policy will help in reducing more than 36.5 lakh kg of CO2 emission per year.

According to the Meghalaya EV policy, the government will offer a purchase subsidy of ₹10,000 per KWH for the first 3,500 electric two-wheelers, ₹4,000 per KWH for the first 200 electric three-wheelers, 2,500 electric four-wheelers, and 30 electric buses that will be purchased and registered in the state during the policy period. The Meghalaya EV policy draft also claims that as of October 31, 2020, the state with only 6 EVs saved 1,568 liters of fuel and a reduced 3,901 kg of CO2 emission.

The policy claims that various steps have been taken to ensure that electric vehicles get priority over internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. This has been done to encourage the use of EVs to protect the environment and steadily cut the reliance on fuel import, the policy further claims. Under the EV policy, the Meghalaya transport department has identified the tourism sector for the use of these EVs in the first phase. In some of the tourist spots these electric vehicles would be used exclusively, claims the policy.

Considering the fact that to promote electric mobility, the EV charging infrastructure plays an important role, the Meghalaya government will facilitate the setting up of charging stations at various state government facilities, and commercial buildings such as hotels, shopping malls, cinema halls, and apartments.