NEW DELHI: In a bid to increase the penetration of electric buses, cars and trucks, and to spur their sales, government is likely to clarify soon that the 15-year ‘End of Life’ (EoL) regulation isn’t applicable to EVs. The power ministry will also expedite extending the CAFE norms (regulations designed to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions) to urban freight vehicles, trucks and buses.These were among the steps finalised at a recent high-level meeting chaired by Niti Aayog member Rajiv Gauba amid concerns over the slow progress of EV penetration in the country, which was barely 7.6% in 2024, as against the target of 30% by 2030. While EV penetration is higher for two- and three-wheelers and buses, it has been slow for four-wheelers, with e-trucks not having taken off so far.
Sources said that responding to an observation from road transport secretary V Umashankar that most over 15-year-old buses are privately owned, Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam suggested that if the 15-year EOL regulation is not applied to EVs, it may spur sales.Umashankar also held that a mandate for EV adoption works best at places where a certain level of penetration and ecosystem are in place. Sources said there was a consensus to move from incentives to mandates and disincentives for faster EV adoption and for strategies to have saturation in five cities for buses, para-transit and urban freight vehicles. A source said there was unanimous agreement on the need for fast expansion of charging infrastructure, deployment of fast chargers, development of new battery technologies to reduce import dependence and easier finance for e-buses and e-trucks.Days later, the finance ministry held talks with banks to address their reluctance to finance EVs and the issue of higher interest rates. At the meeting chaired by financial services secretary M Nagaraju, banks urged govt to standardise batteries, bring down vehicle costs and announce some incentive for purchase of new batteries, considering that batteries usually have to be replaced in 6-7 years and account for 40-50% of the cost of EVs.
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