Electric Vehicles Priority Of Telangana: Minister

Telangana Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar today said that promoting Electrical Vehicles (EVs) was a top priority of the state government.

He was addressing a high-level ministerial round-table conference organised by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India, in Goa for the promotion of electric vehicles.

Kumar said that Telangana had become the third state in India to launch an Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage System policy after Delhi and Gujarat.

He said that the Telangana government, as part of its new policy to promote electric vehicles, offered 100% exemption of road tax and registration fee for the first two lakh electric two-wheelers, 20,000 autos, 10,000 light goods vehicles, 5,000 electric cars and 500 electric buses purchased and registered within the state.

The Telangana government was also promoting the use of electric vehicles in the public transport system, and taking necessary steps for setting up charging stations, he said.

He added that the government would develop new policies and provide incentives for the manufacture and use of electric vehicles in line with the latest steps across the country and world.

Kumar claimed that Telangana was a major base for the EV and ESS (Energy Storage System) sectors, and would attract investments worth USD 4 billion and create employment for 1,20,000 persons by 2030 through EVs via shared mobility, charging infrastructure development, and EV and ESS manufacturing activities.

He also claimed that Hyderabad had been witnessing a sharp rise in the usage of electric vehicles as many were preferring buying the eco-friendly vehicles to bring down carbon emissions. While there were only 25 electric vehicles in the city in 2016, the number had increased to more than 10,000 now, he said.

He said that the state government would proactively support the creation of EV charging infrastructure, and also help create a market for EV charging.