NEW DELHI: Electric vehicle (EV) industry has “unanimously” agreed they won’t need subsidies once existing subsidy regime ends. “All sections” of the EV industry conveyed this to commerce minister Piyush Goyal in a meeting on Friday.
The minister also said India is looking forward to strengthening economic relationship with the US under Trump presidency – “with who we have worked before also” – amid renewed tensions over trade tariffs, with the incoming president having described India as a “very big abuser” of tariffs. And Goyal has sounded a word of caution to quick commerce companies to comply with the law of the land as Blinkit has pilot-launched a 10-minute ambulance service in Gurgaon and others are beginning medicine delivery.
“Electric mobility in India is absolutely ready and set to fly. Everybody was unanimous in the room (meeting with EV industry) that once the existing subsidy regime comes to an end, none of them requires a subsidy to grow any further today. We will make it easier to set up charging infrastructure at petrol pumps. I went further (in Friday meeting) to offer making guidelines for that self-monitoring and self-certifying. Whoever is setting up charging stations will self monitor itself. Oil companies can keep a watch,” Goyal said.
Last March, India had come out with an EV policy of duty concessions to companies setting up manufacturing units here with a minimum investment of $500 million to woo the global biggies. “They do not need newer incentives or subsidies,” the minister added.
