Anand Mahindra thinks Delhi is ‘rightfully the cradle’ of India’s EV revolution

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, has welcomed the new Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy by saying it has set a new benchmark for the rest of the country. He said that the template provided by the Delhi government for EV transition can provide ‘new momentum to the movement in India’, if it is emulated in other parts of the country.

Taking to Twitter, Mahindra said, “Delhi is rightfully the cradle of the EV revolution. This policy has set a new benchmark. It is a template which, if emulated, can provide new momentum to the movement in India.”

He was reacting to Mahindra Electric MD and CEO Mahesh Babu’s tweet complementing the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for announcing a long term futuristic Electric vehicle policy. He assured that Mahindra Electric, Mahindra and Mahindra’s electric vehicle arm, ‘will work jointly to transform the mobility to sustainable in Delhi’.

The Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy will provide incentives of up to ₹1.5 lakh for the purchase of electric cars. It will also give incentives of up to ₹30,000 on e-two-wheelers, autos, e-rickshaws and freight vehicles. Customers looking to buy an electric vehicle can also benefit from low-interest loans promised in the policy. Car owners aiming for a shift to EVs will also be given incentives to scrap their old vehicles.

Mahindra and Mahindra recently announced that it is looking for a partner to scale up its electric vehicle business. During a conference call on Friday, August 7, Pawan Goenka, Managing Director at Mahindra and Mahindra, said that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not had much impact on the company’s plans to launch more electric vehicles in India. He also said that the time is right for the company to consider a joint venture to boost its chances in the electric vehicle segment.

Goenka said the company plans for several new launches over the next 12 months as well. “So finding partners for Mahindra Electric won’t be such a difficult task as it would be for some other companies,” he added.

(Also read: This Independence Day, Mahindra will debut new generation Thar SUV)

The company currently has as many as five electric vehicles in production, including the popular eVerito, which serves mostly as cabs in India. In February this year, the company also launched eKUV100 at starting price of ₹8.25 lakh during the Auto Expo 2020.

Goenka had also said that there are 22,000 Mahindra e-vehicles on Indian roads – spanning three and four wheelers. He had highlighted that with manufacturers like Tata, MG and Hyundai entering the electric space, clean mobility has been given an impetus but urged more Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to join and look for ways to keep prices down so that the technology can reach more and more people.

Source : hindustantimes