'India to promote use of battery operated vehicles'

New Delhi, Jun 18 (UNI) India will begin rigorous marketing of battery-operated vehicles soon.

The need for marketing, opening of dealers' network and charging stations for leasing batteries in major cities for battery-operated vehicles by the manufacturers was underlined by Mr V Subramanian, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy at a meeting with major battery-operated vehicle manufacturers here yesterday.

Noting that crude oil prices had crossed the 140 U S dollars a barrel mark, he said the existing scheme will be changed to accommodate two-wheelers within its purview and work out a conducive policy for large-scale use of battery-operated vehicles in the country.

At present, only three and four-wheelers of institutions are eligible for the scheme. Besides, the ministry will give subsidy to companies which were inteterested in setting up a large network of charging stations, Mr Subramanian informed.

The ministry through its research and development (R and D) and demonstration programmes had been actively promoting bio-fuels use in automobiles and stationary engines and development and production of battery-operated vehicles since the past two decades.

Battery-operated models of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers are manufactured by a number of industries. However the number of such vehicles is small in proportion to conventional fuel vehicles.

Some participants were of the view that while the running cost of battery-operated vehicles is cheaper than petrol/diesel run vehicles, the replacement of batteries of battery-operated vehicles is a costly affair.

Various aspects of leasing of batteries and central charging facility of batteries of battery-operated vehicles were also considered as a step forward for promotion of battery-operated vehicles. The Battery-operated vehicles manufacturers have assured all efforts to expand their marketing network and create awareness about these vehicles.

The Delhi government has announced it will bear 30 per cent of battery-operated vehicles costs and procedures taken for availing the incentives, Mr J K Dadoo, Secretary, Department of Environment, Delhi Government, told the meeting.

Leading battery-operated vehicle manufacturers, including Mahindra and Mahindra, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Honda Motors, Reva Electrics, Electrothurps, Eco Vehicles, Yo-Bikes, and E-Bikes attended the meeting and also representatives from Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Tata Motors.

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