Chandigarh Admin Notifies Draft EV Policy, Offers Financial Benefits

Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit has approved the “Draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2022” for the union territory, aiming to turn the latter into a ‘Model EV City’ through a significant increase in EV penetration within five years.

Following its recent notification, the draft EV policy will stay in the public domain for a period of thirty days so that all the stakeholders and general public of Chandigarh can communicate their suggestions and comments. The policy will be available on the Chandigarh administration’s official website as well as the city’s solar department’s website.

In a nutshell, the UT looks to incentivise the adoption of all electric vehicle categories, such as e-bicycles, electric two-wheelers, e-autos, e-goods carriers, e-carts and electric four-wheelers, in both personal and commercial categories. The administration says that the policy is over and above the FAME-II scheme of the Central Government.

Anyone who has a constructive opinion, comment or suggestion regarding the draft policy may reach out to the Chief Executive Officer of Chandigarh Renewable Energy & Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) within the 30-day period either through post, email or in-person.

A Rain of Benefits

According to the draft, the policy will be exclusively applicable to EVs purchased and registered in Chandigarh. A special early bird incentive will be provided to all e-vehicles that are purchased and registered within a year of the policy’s rollout.

Claiming to be determined to create public EV charging infrastructure in every sector of the city, the administration plans to install 100 public EV charging stations within the first two years.

To motivate the city’s residents to adopt e-vehicles, the administration has waived off the registration fee for EVs and also granted exemption from road tax till 2024. Additionally a 100% waiver on EV parking charges at all Chandigarh Municipal Corporation-run parking lots for the next five years is proposed in the policy.

The policy also contemplates converting existing commercial vehicles into an EV fleet by March 2024, which includes two-wheelers employed by food delivery companies and courier services and all cab services like Ola and Uber.

Also, there will be direct monetary incentives of

• Rs 5,000 per kilowatt for E2W buyers up to maximum Rs 30,000
• Rs 10,000 per kilowatt for registered owners of electric cars up to maximum Rs 1,50,000
• Rs 30,000 on the purchase of electric three wheelers, e-rickshaws, e-carts, and e-autos