EV push | No road tax, registration fee for first 2 lakh electric two-wheelers in Telangana

The first two lakh electric two-wheelers, purchased and registered in Telangana between 2020 to 2030, will be 100 percent exempted from road tax and registration fee, as part of a new policy push for electric vehicles (EV) from the state government.

The initiative, part of Telangana’s State Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy, was launched by ministers KT Rama Rao and Ajay Kumar on October 30.

Besides two-wheelers, electric tractors purchased and registered in the state as per the existing rules/guidelines applicable for tractors by the Transport Department, will also be eligible for 100 percent exemption from road tax and registration fee.

The policy statement said the aim was to make Telangana a major base for EV and energy storage systems (ESS). The target is to attract $4 billion worth of investments and generate employment in the sector for 1.2 lakh individuals by 2030.

The policy also aims to use EV adoption and supply side incentives to push battery manufacture.

Other goals as per the policy statement include “proactive support creation of EV charging infrastructure in the initial phase and eventually create a market for commercially viable EV charging business,” and “developing Telangana as a global centre for cutting-edge research and innovation in electric vehicles, battery technologies and other emerging technologies such as autonomous and connected vehicles.”

The state will facilitate public and private entities setting up the initial batch of fast charging stations in Hyderabad and other towns in a phased manner and will extend “tailor-made benefits to mega and strategic projects on case to case basis.”

Mega projects would be those with over Rs 200 crore investment and generating employment for over 1,000 individuals.

To this end the government also signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with five firms for investments in the space, on October 30.