New Delhi (NVI): In a bid to spur demand for electric vehicles and encourage electric mobility in the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) today issued a notification, allowing registration of EVs without pre-fitted batteries.
In a letter to Transport Secretaries of all the States and UTs, the ministry has clarified that vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered based on the type approval certificate issued by the Test Agency.
The Ministry further stated that there is no need to specify the Make/Type or any other details of the Battery for the purpose of Registration.
However, the prototype of the electrical vehicle, and the battery (regular battery or the swappable battery) is required to be type approved by the test Agencies specified under Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, the Ministry said.
The Government is striving to create an ecosystem to accelerate the uptake of electric mobility in the country. “It is time to come together to work jointly to achieve the broader national agenda to reduce vehicular pollution and oil import bill. This will not only protect the environment and reduce the oft import bill but also provide opportunities to sun rise industry,” the Ministry said in an official release.
For the promotion of electrical two-wheelers and three-wheeler vehicles, there are recommendations brought to the notice of the Ministry to delink the cost of battery (which accounts for 30-40% of the total cost) from the vehicle cost.
Vehicles could then also be sold in the market without the battery. This will make the upfront cost of the electrical 2 wheeler (2W) and 3 wheelers (3W) to be lower than ICE 2 and 3W. The battery could be provided separately by the OEM or the energy service provider, the ministry said.
-ARK
