Incentives are given by the central government to electric and hybrid vehicle buyers under its flagship scheme Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles
Central government’s scheme to subsidise electric vehicles may get extended by a further six months after its validity expires by the end of this month.
Incentives are given by the central government to electric and hybrid vehicle buyers under its flagship scheme Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME).
Responding to a question from Moneycontrol, Anant Geete, Union Cabinet Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprise said, “We have requested the Centre to extend it (the FAME scheme) by another six months”.
Geete was talking on the sidelines of the handing over ceremony of 25 diesel-electric hybrid buses to the Mumbai Metropolitan and Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) to be run by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST).
These fully air-conditioned, 31-seater buses supplied by Tata Motors, which have an automatic gearbox, started their inaugural run today in the business district Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). These buses will run between Borivali to BKC, Mulund to BKC and Kharghar to BKC. In addition it will connect Bandra, Kurla and Sion station areas to BKC.
These buses are 30 percent lower on emissions and consume 28 percent less fuel compared to diesel run buses. It will have a range of 300 kms, including an electric-only range of 50-60kms. Besides these buses will have WiFi, GPS, FM Radio, USB charging, CCTV cameras and reverse camera.
Under the FAME scheme the government provides incentives in the range of Rs 7,500 on an electric scooter to Rs 61 lakh on a 12 meter hybrid-electric bus. The Tata Starbus buses supplied today costs Rs 2 crore each. Of the total Rs 50 crore to be paid to Tata Motors for the 25 buses about Rs 15.5 crore will come from the Center.
“We have increased the number of electric buses to be procured to 80 from the earlier announced figure of 40. These will be run by BEST in Mumbai. This is in line with our aim to move to 100 percent electric mobility for public transport. A similar plan has to be formed for Pune city”, Geete added.
Late last year, BEST procured four fully electric buses from Goldstone Infratech, a Hyderabad-based company which has a joint venture with BYD of China costing Rs 1.6 crore each. Out of the initial 40 buses 20 buses were to be airconditioned and 20 buses were to be non-airconditioned. These would have cost Rs 73 crore to BEST to be repaid over a seven year period.
Meanwhile Tata Motors has assured the Maharashtra government that the hybrid buses supplied today can be converted later to fully electric if required. The Mumbai-headquartered company has developed the Ultra Electric, fully electric 9 meter bus with a capacity to carry 31 passengers. It will be one of the companies who would be bidding for the 80 bus supply contract floated by BEST.