To cater to the rising interest in electric mobility across India, many states are gearing up to adopt mass-scale electric mobility, with some willing to take precedence over others. According to a report, Chandigarh administration has chalked out a draft Electric Vehicle Policy or EV policy. With this, Chandigarh becomes the latest entrant in the list of states that have either come out with or already have a draft EV policy. The others include Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Bihar.
With 1.2 million vehicles (approx.), Chandigarh has the highest density of vehicles in India and the emissions from these are impacting the Union Territory's air quality. As per a Ministry of Urban Development proposal, Chandigarh will become a smart city and it has already started taking measures to adopt electric mobility. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has rolled out a tender for 40 electric buses and charging stations. A charge of Rs 4 per unit has been fixed by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) and a Rs 100 fixed monthly charge on the electricity bill for the charging stations.
According to the report, Chandigarh aims to become "one of the world's leading clean cities" as well as promote "R&D, innovation and skill development in (the) EV sector." To achieve these objectives, Chandigarh proposed the following:
• After 2030, only EVs will be registered in Chandigarh
• By 2027, Chandigarh will have an all-electric fleet of public buses and by 2025; the city will have an all-electric government fleet.
• By 2030, Chandigarh roads will have all-electric rickshaws, corporate fleets, cabs and school buses/vans.
• Chandigarh has also proposed to install 1,000 public EV chargers by 2030.
The report further mentioned the incentives for EV buyers which include:
• Buyers of electric two- and three-wheelers will get a direct subsidy of Rs 20,000 (only for first 3,000 buyers).
• On purchase of EVs, buyers will get a 100 per cent exemption in road tax and registration charges till 2024.
• Free insurance for 1 year (for first 1,000 EV buyers in Chandigarh).
• All government-owned parking spaces will have dedicated free parking slots reserved for EVs, the report said, adding that all commercial buildings, education institutions and RWAs will have to have reserved parking space for EVs equipped with charging facilities.
• New public parking lots in Chandigarh will have a 30 per cent dedicated parking space for EVs.
Incentives and assistance for EV charging include:
• Rs 4 per unit will be charged by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) and a monthly charge of Rs 100 on electricity bill for EV charging stations has been fixed.
• A subsidy of 30 per cent will be provided on the installation of home chargers.
• Charging infrastructure companies willing to install charging stations at public places will get a subsidy of 15 per cent.
• Dedicated lanes for EV charging will be set up by Chandigarh administration in every sector of the Union Territory.
• Amendment to building and construction laws will be made to ensure charging infrastructure is integrated at the planning stage itself for all new constructions.
The Department of Transport, Chandigarh, will be the nodal department for the implementation of EV Policy in the Union Territory. In order to implement the policy, the UTI transport department will form an ‘EV Steering committee’, which will suggest measures on how to implement the policy. The committee will be chaired by the adviser of the Administrator.
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