Government Plans to Resume Providing Commercial EV Permits Without Any Cost

The policy of giving free commercial EV permits will be reinstated by the government two years after it was done away with. Over the previous two years, the Center had abandoned the practice to promote the use of green automobiles. However, it has now decided to go back to the previous procedure for granting such licenses. 

The decision can be linked to problems raised by the owners of commercial EV, according to a report. Even though a central government statement said that permits are not required for these cars, the owners claimed that they were being hounded by local state transport officials for lacking the necessary paperwork.

According to sources, Nitin Gadkari, the minister responsible for road transportation, was informed of the problem and instructed the department to inform ministry officials of the new standard during a recent meeting. 

“This will be a workable solution to make sure that commercial EV drivers or owners are not harassed. The document will be provided to them at no cost. An official stated that “This would serve as official proof and help prevent any conflicts. On October 18, 2018, the ministry released a notification exempting battery-operated vehicles and those powered by methanol or ethanol from the requirement of a permit for carrying passengers or goods.” (commercial EV Permits)

The government must make sure that all states follow the norm that the Center has made known, according to several of the carriers. “When registering a business vehicle, the permission for EVs should be granted automatically. One of the EV bus drivers emphasised that the government must make sure that nobody needs to apply for such licenses.

Recently, Karnataka launched ‘EV Jagruthi’, an awareness portal for electric vehicles that will help faster adoption and a cleaner transport sector in the southern state. The portal was inaugurated by Sunil Kumar, Karnataka Minister of Energy, and Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India.

Along with it, the Rajasthan Electric Vehicle Policy (REVP) which was pending for about a year received approval from the Rajasthan Government. The primary objective of the EV Policy is to encourage electric vehicles’ adoption in the state.