State governments pan India have been pushing towards greener energy sources and Andhra Pradesh has consistently been one to be at the forefront of this transition. As per recent announcements, the government of AP is now looking to initiate several solar projects as well as introducing electric vehicles into the state in order to reduce the state¡¯s carbon footprint.
In a press release, the state¡¯s Commissioner of Industries, Siddharth Jain, mentioned that the state will be utilising the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund for the transition towards renewable energy sources. The list of projects also includes a 3 MW capacity floating solar plant at the Meghadrigedda reservoir near Visakhapatnam. Why floating? To save land, as it is ensured that the floating structure will have minimum impact on the flora and fauna (ecosystem) of the reservoir.
Simultaneously, the state will be a making a move towards a sustainable transport system involving electric vehicles for minimum environmental impact. The move has been proposed by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation in order to reduce the GHG emissions. Notably, the state government had set a target investment of Rs 30,000 crore back in May to bring 10 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2023.
There are, however, other states in India as well which are doing their bit to reduce their respective carbon footprint. Here is a look at how a greener future is shaping in India.
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Delhi
Delhi government recently announced a delegation of the Delhi Transport Ministry looking into the prospect of introducing Electric Buses on the NCR roads. For the same, the delegation is due to visit China this month and monitor and learn from their electric mass transit system. The delegation is reportedly also in talks with several EV manufacturers for the same.
Kerala
Kerala government had also recently announced a target of bringing 1 million electric vehicles into the state by 2022. For this, the state is aiming at a pilot fleet of 2,00,000 two-wheelers, 50,000 three-wheelers, 1,000 goods carriers, 3000 buses and 100 ferry boats by 2020.
The strategy for this transition includes the establishment of charging infrastructure, policies and regulations. In addition, the state is looking at incentivising and standardising?the specifications as well as training and skill development.
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Uttarakhand
Earlier in October, the state cabinet of Uttarakhand had announced a major policy to establish the state as the home for the production of electric vehicles in India and also promote the use of EVs in the state. To enable this, the policies aimed at incentivising the EV production, in line with preset conditions, including appointing the state¡¯s own human resources in the production facilities. The state government has also allotted land resources for these facilities, which will not be used for any other purpose for the next 15 years.
If everything goes as planned, a cumulative result of the policy will see the state becoming the hub for EV manufacturing, enabling new employment opportunity for the state residents, more foreign investments and a reduced carbon footprint.?
Uttar Pradesh
A similar EV- promotion policy was appointed by Uttar Pradesh even before Uttarakhand. Under the Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicles Policy 2018, the state plans to incentivise the establishment of EV manufacturing facilities in the state, including the interest rates for the land. In addition, EV Incubation centers will be set up at IIT-Kanpur and other top educational institutes in the state.
For the vehicle owners, the state will offer a whopping 100 percent road tax exemption for all EVs purchased in the state. In addition, there is also a 30 percent reimbursement subsidy on the road price of EVs to individual families with a single-girl child in the state.?
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Maharashtra
Back in February this year, Maharashtra gave a nod to its EV policy encompassing the growth of EV manufacturing, infrastructure, and consumers in the state. The policy aims at the production of 5,00,000 electric vehicles in the state in the next five years.
For this, the policy proposes zero road tax and registration charges for electric vehicles in the state. In addition, a 15 percent subsidy will be offered to the first 1,00,000 EVs registered in the state.?
Not just the car owners, a Rs 10,00,000 subsidy is also being offered to the first 250 charging stations being set up in the state.
Telangana
As per a draft EV policy by the state, benefits in the form of incentives for vehicle manufacturers and sops for EV charging infrastructure providers will be provided by the state government in the coming years.?
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Karnataka
The very first Indian state to put a specific EV policy in place, Karnataka aimed for an EV future way earlier than others. ?
Apart from incentivising the EV manufacturing and ownership in the state, the policy also lists several electric vehicles to be brought into Karnataka on the state¡¯s part. The list includes 640 EVs, 40 electric buses, 100 four-wheelers and 500 three-wheelers.
The policy also defines the need for a charging infrastructure, for which the Bengaluru (Bangalore) Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has been assigned with the job.? ?