New Delhi, 1 April (IANS). The Center has received inputs from 14 states to carry forward its campaign under the PM E-Drive Scheme. The purpose of this campaign is to doubl the number of electric vehicle public charging stations in highways and major cities to encourage green vehicle adoption to 72,300 to encourage Green Vehicle Adoption.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries has launched the scheme with a outlay of 10,900 crore, out of which Rs 2,000 crore has been set to set up electric charging stations.
A senior official said that the scheme has targeted to support more than 28.8 lakh electric vehicles by the end of FY 2026.
He confirmed that ports and airports in high traffic density points are also being seen as locations to set up charging stations.
In addition, the Ministry is discussing optimal points to set up a charging station on highways, especially for e-bass.
As part of a campaign to reduce pollution and global warming, a target was to provide service to more than 14,000 e-bosses.
The scheme provides grants to the acquisition of electric buses, establishing networks of charging stations and upgrading the Testing facilities of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI).
Under this scheme, commercial vehicles like e-3 wheelers are being given priority within the city limits and a target has been set to bring 2.05 lakh such vehicles on the roads by the end of FY 2026.
The government aims to have a 30 percent share of EV in registration of new private vehicles by 2030, which requires a great increase in EV charging infrastructure.
The official said that the scheme aims to remove “Range Angi” among potential EV buyers by facilitating the development of a strong charging infrastructure.
Electric charging stations have already been installed on major highways including Delhi-Agra (Yamuna Expressway), Delhi-Jaipur (NH-48) and Chennai-Tritti (NH-179B) routes, including initiatives like National Highways (NHEV) pilot project for electric vehicles, which focus on upgrading these highways.
The Ministry of Power has proposed a 12 National Corridor for electrification, including corridors used in the NHEV pilot project.
-IANS
SKT/ABM
