The PM E-DRIVE, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, has been designed to replace the current the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (FAME) initiative, and will focus on promoting electric buses, trucks, and ambulances in the country, reports say.
Under the scheme, 14,028 electric buses, 3.16 lakh electric three-wheelers, and about 25 lakh electric two-wheelers would be supported, it was announced by the government.
“The decision on the PM E-DRIVE Scheme was taken at the meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was quoted as saying in the media reports.
In March this year, EV sales had peaked to 2,13,036 units. However, it plunged to 1,15,850 units in the very next month, when the scheme was replaced with EMPS, according to official data.
The monthly sales of EVs stood at 1,56,199 in August, which was higher by 22.8 percent year-on-year but lower as compared to the peak scaled in March.
The Prime Minister, while addressing the second international conference on Green Hydrogen yesterday, had expressed satisfaction for growing awareness among the nations about climate change.
“It’s not just a matter of the future but its impact can be felt now,” he had said.
