The amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act were passed by the Parliament recently but most have come into effect from September 1, 2019. This means that driving errors are going to be penalized hugely.  The transport ministry issued a notification dated August 28, listing out all the laws that have come into effect from September 1, 2019.

In order to give a further push to clean mobility in public transportation, the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) has approved the sanction of 5595 electric buses to 64 Cities, State Government Entities, State Transport Undertakings (STUs) for intra-city and intercity operation under FAME India scheme phase II.

The Department had invited the Expression of Interest (EoI) from million-plus cities, smart cities, State/UT capitals and cities from special category states for submission of proposal for deployment of electric buses on operational cost basis. 

As part of India’s energy security plan, the government is exploring newer battery technologies such as polymer-based solid state batteries that may allow India to avoid dependence on lithium or cobalt imports.

This comes in the backdrop of Chinese state-owned firms securing lithium mine concessions in countries such as Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, which forms the so-called lithium triangle. The idea is to not allow India to fall in a vulnerable position with a likely threat of supply squeeze as has happened in the case of crude oil, with India being the world’s third largest oil importer.

Almost all electric vehicles in the country run on imported batteries, mostly from China. At present a lithium-ion battery accounts for 40% of the total cost of an electric vehicle. Lithium also has other uses such as in mobile phone batteries and solar panels.

The government has invited proposals from entities for the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in big and smart cities. Proposals are invited from entities that intend to develop EV charging infrastructure in million-plus cities as per the 2011 census; and smart cities as notified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

"Initially, 1,000 EV charging stations are earmarked for deployment through this EOI. These charging stations will be sanctioned to different states/cities/entities after evaluation of the proposals received under this EOI," the Heavy Industries Ministry said.

It further advised that to the extent possible charging station should be connected with 'grid-connected solar power plant' of required capacity as per MNRE guidelines so as to ensure grid stability and green energy for electric vehicles. 

The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 will be implemented in phases based on the feedback from auto industry. The Minister of State for Heavy Industries promised all support to the auto industry on policy matters to ensure smooth and efficient transformation of the automotive industry from internal combustion (IC) to electric powertrain.

NEMMP 2020 is a mission document providing the vision and the roadmap for the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the country. This plan has been designed to enhance national fuel security to provide affordable and environmentally friendly transportation and to enable the Indian automotive industry to achieve global manufacturing leadership.