Maharashtra emerging as national EV capital : CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Mar 26 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state is emerging as the "national capital" of electric vehicles (EVs) with major manufacturing plants coming up in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Speaking during Question Hour in the legislative council, he said the shift to EVs from conventional vehicles will reduce air pollution.

"Maharashtra is becoming national capital of electric vehicles. This is primarily because significant EV manufacturing plants are being established in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar," he said.

"The contribution of vehicles (running on petrol or diesel) to air pollution is the highest. A shift towards electric vehicles will help reduce this problem," the chief minister added.

Both private and public transport sectors are increasingly adopting EVs and more than 2,500 electric buses are being added to the public transport sector in the state in a phased manner, Fadnavis said.

"The number of electric vehicles being registered in the state is steadily rising. Over 50 per cent of newly registered vehicles are now EVs," he said.

The government was also building supporting infrastructure including a large-scale EV charging network across the state, the CM said. PTI ND KRK

Source: PTI