No toll for e-vehicles on Atal Setu, E-ways; state highways next
Mumbai: Toll has been waived for electric cars and electric buses on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, and Atal Setu for the next five years, stated a government resolution (GR) issued on Friday.
The GR also assured toll exemptions 'very soon' for electric vehicles (EVs) on all state highways under Public Works Department (PWD) jurisdiction.
"The decision to gradually provide toll exemptions on state highways will be taken by the steering committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary. The amount waived as toll exemption will be reimbursed to PWD by the transport department through supplementary provisions," the GR stated.
The GR also emphasised strengthening the EV charging infrastructure across Maharashtra. "This will include setting up charging facilities for EVs at every 25km interval on state and national highways through public-private partnerships," it stated. "Each existing and new fuel station on state and national highways will have at least one EV charging facility. To achieve this, an MoU will be signed between the transport department and oil marketing companies.
Also, each MSRTC bus station/depot will have at least one fast charging station." The GR added that the policy will facilitate the demonstration of sustainable transport models between the cities of Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Nagpur.
The Electric Vehicle Policy, 2025 has included trucks, other heavy vehicles, agricultural tractors and harvesters, construction vehicles, ambulances, and solid waste transport vehicles.
It also encourages the conversion of all civic vehicles, including dumper trucks, to electric. The state will provide subsidies for EVs to replace highly polluting heavy diesel vehicles, which pollute approximately 67 times more than cars.
A senior official said Development Control rules will be changed to make it mandatory for all new housing societies/complexes to provide good infrastructure for EV charging and encourage adoption of EVs among the residents.
Old housing societies will also get incentives from power utilities to set up EV charging infrastructure, it is learnt.
The EV charging infrastructure will be mandatory in commercial spaces and govt offices. "We are also coordinating with civic corporations, which should create space for solid waste management dedicated to the disposal of EV batteries," the official said. There will be several fast-charging facilities on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Samruddhi, and other highways.
The new policy also looks at 30% of new EV registrations for all vehicles, 40% for two- and three-wheelers, 30% for cars/SUVs, 50% for aggregator cabs like Ola and Uber, and 15% for private buses in the coming years. "By 2030, we aim to reduce 325 tonnes of PM 2.5 emissions and 1 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in Maharashtra," a senior official from Mantralaya said.
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