Maharashtra Aims To Electrify 10% Of Newly Registered Vehicles In Next 5 Years

The Maharashtra government intends to electrify at least 10 per cent of its new registered vehicles in major cities in the next five years, as reported by PTI. While addressing a recently organised virtual town hall by 'Climate Voices', the state transport commissioner Ashish Kumar Singh said that the Maharashtra state government aims to be the top battery-operated vehicle producer in the country. He also confirmed that a committee had been formed under him to re-draft the current electric vehicle (EV) policy.

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Ashish Kumar Singh said, "We are in the final stage of drafting the policy. The transport department has already consulted stakeholders, but we are still open to suggestions from the public."

He further mentioned that the state government is targeting major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad to achieve 25 per cent electrification of intra-city public transport, as well as last-mile delivery vehicles by 2025.

Maharashtra intends to be the top battery-operated vehicle producer in the country

Around 15 per cent of the existing intercity bus fleet of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will be converted to electric. The state-run currently has a fleet of more than 15,000 buses. He also said around 32,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in various categories are registered in the state at present.

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Ashish Kumar Singh further said, "The state intends on making the under construction Mumbai Nagpur Expressway and Mumbai Pune Expressway, Mumbai- Nashik and Nashik-Pune highways fully EV ready by 2025."

Along with the EV policy, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is undertaking a parallel exercise to build draft rules on recycling lithium-ion batteries and associated electronic waste.