Maharashtra environment minister Aditya Thackeray announced the policy has set a target of having 10% of new vehicle registered to be electric & electrification of 25% of public transport and last mile delivery by 2025, by converting 15% of the state transport corporation’s fleet to electric, government vehicles going electric from April 2022 and e-commerce, logistics companies to transit 25% of their fleet transition to electric by 2025.
As per the new policy, all the electric vehicles (EVs) sold in Maharashtra will be exempted from paying road tax till the duration of the policy. Also, the property developers will be required to mandatorily reserve minimum EV parking space in residential and commercial areas, and government offices.
The new policy aims at establishing at least one manufacturing unit in the state for producing advanced lithium-ion batteries. It also proposes to set up 1,500 charging stations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, 500 in Pune, 150 in Nagpur, 100 in Nashik, 75 in Aurangabad, 30 in Amaravati and 20 in Solapur, by 2025.
The automotive industry expects the new Maharashtra Electric Vehicle policy to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles and help in developing the charging infrastructure. The policy also offered incentives for setting up public charging stations and aimed at making Maharashtra the country’s top manufacturer of EV in India.