The number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered on the e-Vahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has gone up to 56.75 lakh as of February 8 this year, while the total registered vehicles are 3,897.71 lakhs, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE scheme ensures accessibility and affordability of electric vehicles (EVs) through targeted subsidies and demand incentives for e-2Ws and e-3Ws on a pan-India basis including rural and semi-urban areas. The scheme also has an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for installation of EV charging infrastructure across the country and addressing the issue of range anxiety among EV buyers, the minister said in a written reply to a question.
The emphasis of the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, which is available till March 31, 2026, is on providing affordable and environment-friendly public transportation options for the masses. The scheme applies mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-trucks and other new emerging EV categories on a pan-India basis including Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, he explained.
Prioritising EVs for public transport and commercial use aims to provide environmentally friendly transportation options for the masses, thereby reducing overall emissions. By promoting electric mobility, the scheme intends to decrease dependence on fossil fuels and lower emissions from the transportation sector, the minister said.