Latest news with #PME-Drive
Mint
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Bhel likely to be tendering agency for EV charging stations under PM E-drive
New Delhi: State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) may be nominated to lead the tendering process for 72,300 electric vehicle (EV) public charging stations under the ₹10,900-crore PM E-drive scheme, two people aware of the development said. 'With Bhel being the nodal agency for demand aggregation of EV charging stations, it is likely that it will also play a key role in tendering these charging stations to interested stakeholders," said the first of the two persons cited earlier, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity. As the nodal agency, price discovery would be a key function of Bhel in its new role in India's evolving EV space, the second person said. Also read: EV vs hybrid war: All clean fuel-run vehicles are equal for the PMO Bhel's stock ended little changed at ₹253.55 on the BSE on Friday. This assumes importance as the PM E-drive scheme, the Centre's marquee scheme to incentivize green mobility for consumers, has allocated about a fifth of its outlay— ₹2,000 crore—to subsidize electric vehicle charging stations. Mint earlier reported about the heavy industries ministry working with the ministries of road transport and highways, civil aviation, and power to identify locations to set up these EV charging stations. PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-drive) scheme, with a financial outlay of ₹10,900 crore, came into effect on 1 October 2024 and will remain in force until 31 March 2026. Its main aim is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, establish charging infrastructure and build a robust EV manufacturing ecosystem in the country. Under the scheme, the government plans to incentivize charging stations for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses and trucks. These chargers need to have a minimum capacity of 12 kilowatt for electric two- and three-wheelers, 60 kilowatt for electric four-wheelers and 240 kilowatts for electric buses and trucks. The plan includes incentivizing 22,100 chargers for electric four-wheelers, 48,400 for electric two- and three-wheelers, and 1,800 for electric buses and trucks. Also read: Will India's unsafe e-rickshaws finally face the crash test? The heavy industries ministry on 21 May said in a press statement that Bhel is being considered as the nodal agency for demand aggregation and for the development of a unified digital super app that will serve as a single platform for EV users across India. 'The app will feature real-time slot booking, payment integration, charger availability status and progress dashboards for tracking national deployment under the PM E-Drive scheme. Bhel will also coordinate with states and ministries to compile and evaluate proposals for charger installations," the statement on 21 May said. Queries emailed to the ministry of heavy industries and Bhel on Friday remained unanswered till press time. According to the procedure for setting up EV chargers under the PM E-drive scheme, state governments as well as central ministries can submit a bid for EV charging stations to the heavy industries ministry after aggregating demand and conducting feasibility studies. This will be done by a nodal agency appointed by the state government or central ministry. Demand aggregation refers to gathering demand from stakeholders to determine the volume of EV charging stations that will be installed by states or by central ministries. As per guidelines for installation of EV charging stations, availability of land is a major concern. 'In addition to charger capex and the corresponding need for upstream infrastructure, one major component is land availability. Access to land and high land rentals present major hurdles in deploying charging infrastructure," said the guidelines. State governments and central ministries which seek to install charging stations 'may provide access to land at suitable locations for EV charging stations by coordinating with various stakeholders under their control", the guidelines said. This would incentivize charge-point operators and other stakeholders to install chargers in locations with high rents, according to the guidelines. State governments and central ministries should communicate their demand of EV charging points to the ministry of heavy industries for approval. After being approved, the nodal agency which gathered demand and conducted feasibility studies will begin the tendering process. As per the guidelines, the nodal agency appointed by the state government or central ministry can decide who will be the tender inviting authority (TIA). The nodal agency itself can also be the TIA, but can appoint any other agency on its behalf. The tender will include identified locations for EV charging stations, minimum charger configurations, available area and the bidding parameters to be followed. After successful bidding by charge-point operators and review by ministry of heavy industries, subsidy for charging stations will be disbursed in installments. Also read: E-buses under PM E-drive to be used now for intercity, tourist travel Under the PM E-drive scheme, the government will fund up to 80% of the upstream costs of setting up an EV charging station. But under special circumstances, the government may fund the full cost of a charging station, according to the guidelines. India's green mobility push has gained momentum, but continues to face hurdles related to EV charging infrastructure. 'The Electric Vehicle (EV) movement is gaining undeniable momentum, driven by consumer interest in sustainability and long-term cost benefits. Yet, barriers such as charging infrastructure, upfront costs and battery longevity continue to influence consumers," said Rajat Mahajan, partner and automotive sector leader, Deloitte India, in April at the launch of the 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study—India. The study showed that 36% of Indian consumers surveyed prioritized fast-charging for EVs.
Mint
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
EV vs hybrid war: All clean fuel-run vehicles are equal for the PMO
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) believes the Centre needs to support all clean-fuel vehicles including hybrids, even as a rift widens in the Indian auto industry over hybrids being put on a par with pure electric vehicles (EVs). The stand, confirmed by two top government officials, comes after manufacturers of both electric and hybrid vehicles sought the Centre's favour after several state governments proposed incentivizing electric, hybrid and CNG vehicles equally. 'I do not understand why there is so much lobbying. State policies may differ, but the central government has supported both EVs and hybrids in clean mobility schemes. It cannot be that you incentivize one and not the other. The idea is to help all forms and all clean fuels," one of the two officials said on the condition of anonymity. The incentives for EVs and hybrids are aimed at reducing the country's fuel imports and carbon emissions. "All clean mobility initiatives which contribute to this have been incentivized so far, and will continue to be so," the second official said, also on the condition of anonymity. Govt support Mint reported on 6 June, quoting Union heavy industries minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, that the government would continue to support all forms of clean mobility, including hybrid vehicles, which combine the power of a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) with an electric motor, improving fuel efficiency while cutting down on emissions and fuel usage. Even in the past, the Centre supported hybrids and EVs alike in various subsidy schemes, including the second iteration of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India), which ran from 2018-19 to 2023-24. Also read | ARAI likely to plan division of auto testing agencies allocation Eventually, support for clean-fuel cars was removed under the PM E-Drive scheme (2023-24 to 2025-26). However, it continues to incentivize pure electric buses and electric and hybrid ambulances. The outlay for incentivising such ambulances is ₹500 crore till the end of FY26. Nevertheless, the Union government will continue to support policies to promote clean mobility through all possible means, including EVs, hybrid vehicles, as well as vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquified natural gas (LNG), among others, according to the government officials cited above. The EV vs hybrid war Mint reported on 24 April that the Delhi government had proposed to grant hybrid cars the same benefits as fully electric ones, raising concern among carmakers that had committed vast amounts to develop battery EVs, skipping hybrid technologies. The draft of the Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy 2.0 seeks to waive road tax and registration fees on electric cars priced up to ₹20 lakh ex-showroom and extend the benefit to strong hybrid EVs (SHEVs) and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) with a similar price cap as well. Also read | More than 6 lakh electric 2, 3-wheelers sold under PM E-Drive scheme since April An SHEV is typically a car in which an electric motor gives significant assistance to the combustion engine. PHEVs, as the name suggests, come with a charging port for the battery that drives the motor. These vehicles can also run exclusively on the electric motor. Uttar Pradesh was the first state to waive these charges for hybrid vehicles in July 2024. CAQM direction Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on 4 June also directed commercial vehicle operators to include 'clean' vehicles, including hybrids, in their fleets to help curb air pollution in the national capital. Worried about losing market share, EV makers have urged the Union government not to incentivize them on par with EVs. They have argued that parity between incentives for hybrids and pure EVs would push consumers towards hybrids, which are not zero-emission vehicles. Also read | Tata Motors pushes for e-taxi subsidy after exclusion from PM E-Drive India's EV market was valued at $54.41 billion in 2025, and the hybrid vehicle market at about $0.53 billion, according to market research company Mordor Intelligence. India's automobile market, the world's third-largest by sales, was valued at $137.06 billion. Clean-fuel clash India's major EV makers include Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, Kia India Pvt. Ltd, and JSW MG Motor India Ltd. The hybrid carmakers are led by Maruti Suzuki India Pvt. Ltd, Honda Cars India Ltd, and Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. 'Tata Motors believes that government incentives should be directed towards promoting zero-emission technologies such as EVs by bridging funding gaps, developing enabling infrastructure, and accelerating innovation to help them reach scale and maturity. Hybrid is an incremental and mature ICE technology, which is commercially viable and faces no funding or adoption barriers that typically warrant government support," said a Tata Motors spokesperson in an emailed statement. Also read | Subsidies on e-scooters to slide to ₹5,000 per scooter in Oct 2025 The spokesperson added that hybrids use fossil fuels, resulting in PM2.5, CO2, and other tailpipe emissions like any other ICE vehicles. Directing any incentives or subsidies toward them can divert India from its net-zero and energy security objectives. 'Viability gap' Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer, corporate affairs, Maruti Suzuki, countered the argument, saying that strong hybrid EVs reduce CO2 emissions by 25% to 31% over pure petrol vehicles and increase energy efficiency by 36% to 44%, but they still have a viability gap. 'So, the tax cannot be the same for a strong hybrid and a pure petrol/diesel vehicle. Data shows that wherever SHEVs have been incentivized, the sales of BEVs have not fallen at all; on the contrary, they have gone up. SHEVs will help reduce pure diesel/petrol cars, and that is in the national interest," he added. Also read | E-buses under PM E-drive to be used now for intercity, tourist travel While hybrid vehicle sales rose about 12% year-on-year to 365,024 in 2024-25, pure EV sales rose 17% to 1,967,313, showed data from the central government's Vahan portal. Queries emailed on 5 June to the PMO, on 6 June to Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai Motor India, Kia India, JSW MG Motor, Honda Cars, and Toyota Kirloskar Motor, and on 7 June to the heavy industries ministry, remained unanswered until the time of publishing this story. Experts weigh in The share of non-conventional fuels has increased to a fifth of total passenger vehicle volumes, as against less than 5% five years ago, said Srikumar Krishnamurthy, senior vice-president and co-group head, corporate ratings, Icra Ltd. 'Specifically, hybrids have seen better acceptance in the last one and a half years as they reduce carbon emissions while managing to achieve good ranges. While hybrids at this stage are a stop-gap solution as EV infrastructure is yet to mature, they are also playing a strategic role in achieving sustainability and with more product launches and better product quality, it has become more popular."
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
PM E-Drive halfway down the road for 2 & 3-wheelers: HD Kumaraswamy
New Delhi: The PM E-Drive scheme , which seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, has so far achieved nearly 50per cent of its targets for two- and three-wheeler sales, said union steel and heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy . At 155,085 units, more than 75per cent of the target for the sale of large electric three-wheelers has already been achieved as of May 30, the minister said. Under the electric two-wheeler category, 1,198,707 units have been sold, meeting 48per cent of the scheme target so far, he told ET in an interview Sunday, adding that this scheme is routinely being reviewed to address any concerns. The scheme, started in September 2024, will run till March 2026. The minister also said steps are being taken to improve project execution by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd ( BHEL ). Under PM E-Drive, he said, the e-rickshaw or e-cart category has grossly underperformed the other segments, achieving just 2per cent of the scheme target at 2,736 units. Commenting on the deliverables for electric buses under the scheme, Kumaraswamy said: "So far, 10,900 e-buses have been approved, with deployment expected in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Demand for another 1,000 e-buses has been raised by Pune which is yet to be approved. The tender will be floated this week by Convergence Energy Services." The PM E-Drive Scheme has allocated ₹4,391 crore for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. He said a payment security mechanism shall ensure that e-bus suppliers get the payments on time. "Direct debit mandate with the RBI has been signed by Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat. Delhi has agreed to the DDM," he said. Under this mechanism, the central bank can debit the accounts of states if there is any shortfall in payments to e-bus suppliers. "Total demand for 14,400 e-buses has come from cities. The current allocation has been considered for 10,900 e-buses in the Phase I," Kumaraswamy said. "Talks are on with remaining states. Their demand will be taken up in the next phase." His ministry also administers BHEL , which today has a healthy orderbook with the surge in thermal power capacity addition. But the company has historically struggled with meeting timelines. On steps expected to improve BHEL's deliverables, he said: "Processes are being refined along with many new initiatives which are vendor friendly, inviting more participation to meet spurt in material and manpower demand."
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
bhel: PM E-Drive halfway down the road for 2 & 3-wheelers: HD Kumaraswamy
ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT New Delhi: The PM E-Drive scheme , which seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, has so far achieved nearly 50% of its targets for two- and three-wheeler sales, said union steel and heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy At 155,085 units, more than 75% of the target for the sale of large electric three-wheelers has already been achieved as of May 30, the minister said. Under the electric two-wheeler category, 1,198,707 units have been sold, meeting 48% of the scheme target so far, he told ET in an interview Sunday, adding that this scheme is routinely being reviewed to address any scheme, started in September 2024, will run till March minister also said steps are being taken to improve project execution by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd BHEL ).Under PM E-Drive, he said, the e-rickshaw or e-cart category has grossly underperformed the other segments, achieving just 2% of the scheme target at 2,736 on the deliverables for electric buses under the scheme, Kumaraswamy said: "So far, 10,900 e-buses have been approved, with deployment expected in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Demand for another 1,000 e-buses has been raised by Pune which is yet to be approved. The tender will be floated this week by Convergence Energy Services."The PM E-Drive Scheme has allocated ₹4,391 crore for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. He said a payment security mechanism shall ensure that e-bus suppliers get the payments on time."Direct debit mandate with the RBI has been signed by Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat. Delhi has agreed to the DDM," he this mechanism, the central bank can debit the accounts of states if there is any shortfall in payments to e-bus suppliers."Total demand for 14,400 e-buses has come from cities. The current allocation has been considered for 10,900 e-buses in the Phase I," Kumaraswamy said. "Talks are on with remaining states. Their demand will be taken up in the next phase."His ministry also administers BHEL, which today has a healthy orderbook with the surge in thermal power capacity addition. But the company has historically struggled with meeting steps expected to improve BHEL's deliverables, he said: "Processes are being refined along with many new initiatives which are vendor friendly, inviting more participation to meet spurt in material and manpower demand."
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
PM E-Drive halfway down the road for 2 & 3-wheelers: HD Kumaraswamy
New Delhi: The PM E-Drive scheme , which seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, has so far achieved nearly 50% of its targets for two- and three-wheeler sales, said union steel and heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy . At 155,085 units, more than 75% of the target for the sale of large electric three-wheelers has already been achieved as of May 30, the minister said. Under the electric two-wheeler category, 1,198,707 units have been sold, meeting 48% of the scheme target so far, he told ET in an interview Sunday, adding that this scheme is routinely being reviewed to address any concerns. The scheme, started in September 2024, will run till March 2026. The minister also said steps are being taken to improve project execution by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd ( BHEL ). Under PM E-Drive, he said, the e-rickshaw or e-cart category has grossly underperformed the other segments, achieving just 2% of the scheme target at 2,736 units. Commenting on the deliverables for electric buses under the scheme, Kumaraswamy said: "So far, 10,900 e-buses have been approved, with deployment expected in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Demand for another 1,000 e-buses has been raised by Pune which is yet to be approved. The tender will be floated this week by Convergence Energy Services." The PM E-Drive Scheme has allocated ₹4,391 crore for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. He said a payment security mechanism shall ensure that e-bus suppliers get the payments on time. "Direct debit mandate with the RBI has been signed by Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat. Delhi has agreed to the DDM," he said. Under this mechanism, the central bank can debit the accounts of states if there is any shortfall in payments to e-bus suppliers. "Total demand for 14,400 e-buses has come from cities. The current allocation has been considered for 10,900 e-buses in the Phase I," Kumaraswamy said. "Talks are on with remaining states. Their demand will be taken up in the next phase." His ministry also administers BHEL, which today has a healthy orderbook with the surge in thermal power capacity addition. But the company has historically struggled with meeting timelines. On steps expected to improve BHEL's deliverables, he said: "Processes are being refined along with many new initiatives which are vendor friendly, inviting more participation to meet spurt in material and manpower demand."
