Latest news with #PME-Drive
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
PM E-Drive halfway down the road for 2 & 3-wheelers: HD Kumaraswamy
New Delhi: The PM E-Drive scheme , which seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, has so far achieved nearly 50per cent of its targets for two- and three-wheeler sales, said union steel and heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy . At 155,085 units, more than 75per cent of the target for the sale of large electric three-wheelers has already been achieved as of May 30, the minister said. Under the electric two-wheeler category, 1,198,707 units have been sold, meeting 48per cent of the scheme target so far, he told ET in an interview Sunday, adding that this scheme is routinely being reviewed to address any concerns. The scheme, started in September 2024, will run till March 2026. The minister also said steps are being taken to improve project execution by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd ( BHEL ). Under PM E-Drive, he said, the e-rickshaw or e-cart category has grossly underperformed the other segments, achieving just 2per cent of the scheme target at 2,736 units. Commenting on the deliverables for electric buses under the scheme, Kumaraswamy said: "So far, 10,900 e-buses have been approved, with deployment expected in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Demand for another 1,000 e-buses has been raised by Pune which is yet to be approved. The tender will be floated this week by Convergence Energy Services." The PM E-Drive Scheme has allocated ₹4,391 crore for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. He said a payment security mechanism shall ensure that e-bus suppliers get the payments on time. "Direct debit mandate with the RBI has been signed by Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat. Delhi has agreed to the DDM," he said. Under this mechanism, the central bank can debit the accounts of states if there is any shortfall in payments to e-bus suppliers. "Total demand for 14,400 e-buses has come from cities. The current allocation has been considered for 10,900 e-buses in the Phase I," Kumaraswamy said. "Talks are on with remaining states. Their demand will be taken up in the next phase." His ministry also administers BHEL , which today has a healthy orderbook with the surge in thermal power capacity addition. But the company has historically struggled with meeting timelines. On steps expected to improve BHEL's deliverables, he said: "Processes are being refined along with many new initiatives which are vendor friendly, inviting more participation to meet spurt in material and manpower demand."
Time of India
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
bhel: PM E-Drive halfway down the road for 2 & 3-wheelers: HD Kumaraswamy
ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT New Delhi: The PM E-Drive scheme , which seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, has so far achieved nearly 50% of its targets for two- and three-wheeler sales, said union steel and heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy At 155,085 units, more than 75% of the target for the sale of large electric three-wheelers has already been achieved as of May 30, the minister said. Under the electric two-wheeler category, 1,198,707 units have been sold, meeting 48% of the scheme target so far, he told ET in an interview Sunday, adding that this scheme is routinely being reviewed to address any scheme, started in September 2024, will run till March minister also said steps are being taken to improve project execution by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd BHEL ).Under PM E-Drive, he said, the e-rickshaw or e-cart category has grossly underperformed the other segments, achieving just 2% of the scheme target at 2,736 on the deliverables for electric buses under the scheme, Kumaraswamy said: "So far, 10,900 e-buses have been approved, with deployment expected in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Demand for another 1,000 e-buses has been raised by Pune which is yet to be approved. The tender will be floated this week by Convergence Energy Services."The PM E-Drive Scheme has allocated ₹4,391 crore for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. He said a payment security mechanism shall ensure that e-bus suppliers get the payments on time."Direct debit mandate with the RBI has been signed by Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat. Delhi has agreed to the DDM," he this mechanism, the central bank can debit the accounts of states if there is any shortfall in payments to e-bus suppliers."Total demand for 14,400 e-buses has come from cities. The current allocation has been considered for 10,900 e-buses in the Phase I," Kumaraswamy said. "Talks are on with remaining states. Their demand will be taken up in the next phase."His ministry also administers BHEL, which today has a healthy orderbook with the surge in thermal power capacity addition. But the company has historically struggled with meeting steps expected to improve BHEL's deliverables, he said: "Processes are being refined along with many new initiatives which are vendor friendly, inviting more participation to meet spurt in material and manpower demand."
Time of India
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
PM E-Drive halfway down the road for 2 & 3-wheelers: HD Kumaraswamy
New Delhi: The PM E-Drive scheme , which seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, has so far achieved nearly 50% of its targets for two- and three-wheeler sales, said union steel and heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy . At 155,085 units, more than 75% of the target for the sale of large electric three-wheelers has already been achieved as of May 30, the minister said. Under the electric two-wheeler category, 1,198,707 units have been sold, meeting 48% of the scheme target so far, he told ET in an interview Sunday, adding that this scheme is routinely being reviewed to address any concerns. The scheme, started in September 2024, will run till March 2026. The minister also said steps are being taken to improve project execution by state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd ( BHEL ). Under PM E-Drive, he said, the e-rickshaw or e-cart category has grossly underperformed the other segments, achieving just 2% of the scheme target at 2,736 units. Commenting on the deliverables for electric buses under the scheme, Kumaraswamy said: "So far, 10,900 e-buses have been approved, with deployment expected in Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Demand for another 1,000 e-buses has been raised by Pune which is yet to be approved. The tender will be floated this week by Convergence Energy Services." The PM E-Drive Scheme has allocated ₹4,391 crore for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. He said a payment security mechanism shall ensure that e-bus suppliers get the payments on time. "Direct debit mandate with the RBI has been signed by Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat. Delhi has agreed to the DDM," he said. Under this mechanism, the central bank can debit the accounts of states if there is any shortfall in payments to e-bus suppliers. "Total demand for 14,400 e-buses has come from cities. The current allocation has been considered for 10,900 e-buses in the Phase I," Kumaraswamy said. "Talks are on with remaining states. Their demand will be taken up in the next phase." His ministry also administers BHEL, which today has a healthy orderbook with the surge in thermal power capacity addition. But the company has historically struggled with meeting timelines. On steps expected to improve BHEL's deliverables, he said: "Processes are being refined along with many new initiatives which are vendor friendly, inviting more participation to meet spurt in material and manpower demand."
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Centre approves 10,000 e-buses for Bengaluru, Delhi, other cities; none for Pune
Pune has not been allotted any e-buses under the PM E-Drive in a recent announcement by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries. On Friday, Minister H D Kumaraswamy approved the rollout of electric buses under the scheme with Bengaluru being allocated 4,500 buses, Delhi getting 2,800 buses, Hyderabad getting 2,000 buses, Ahmedabad getting 1,000 buses, and Surat getting 600 buses. Pune has been reeling under a shortage of buses for at least four years. An analysis of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) data by The Indian Express in April showed that the number of buses in the city has remained around the 2,000 figure since at least 2022. In April 2022 PMPML's fleet numbers stood at 1,959, in February 2023 at 2,083, in February 2024 at 2,009, and in February 2025 at 1,916. A study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) in January highlighted that Pune had only half the buses it required. According to the institute Pune requires 4,500 buses as compared to the 2,000 it has had over the past few years. Pune Metropolitan Region's Comprehensive Mobility Plan developed by Pune Metro and Assystem paints an even bleaker picture. The plan says that based on Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs guidelines of 60 buses per lakh population, PMPML required 6,228 by 2024. This means that the city is 4,000 buses short. Responding to a question about Pune not being allotted buses, Pune MP and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol on Monday said, 'After the state government's proposal goes to the Ministry only then the buses can be approved. There is a system in place, the state government has to send the proposal. We have discussed this with CM Devendra Fadnavis.' In October 2024, Muralidhar Mohol had announced that a proposal to get 1,000 buses for Pune had been submitted to Kumaraswamy. He wrote on his official X account, 'While the metro network is expanding in Pune city, we are focusing on empowering PMPML and have submitted a proposal to the Union Minister of Heavy Industries, Hon. Shri. HD Kumaraswamy Ji, to get 1,000 new e-buses for PMPML through the Modi government. Moreover, regarding this proposal, the current number of buses in Pune city, its requirement and future requirement were discussed. On this, Hon. Minister has also directed the officials to take action and process his proposal.' Nitin Narvekar, Joint Managing Director of PMPML told The Indian Express, 'Our proposal for 1000 e-buses has already gone to the authorities. However, I was not aware of this recent allocation (to other cities) and we have not received any intimation or any timeline regarding the delivery of our buses.' Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Mint
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
E-buses under PM E-drive to be used now for intercity, tourist travel
Inter-city routes and tourist trails may open up for electric buses which are now confined to cities under a central scheme, two people familiar with the plans said. The ₹10,900-crore PM E-Drive scheme rolled out in September 2024 to expand city transport may soon be expanded for this purpose, the people said on the condition of anonymity. On Friday, the government allotted 10,900 buses under the scheme, which aims at a total of 14,028 buses. 'The allotment announced on 22 May will first be tendered, followed by demand generation and tendering of more electric buses to remaining cities," one of the two people cited above said. 'Then more buses will be deployed for intercity purposes, and for some tourist destinations, for instance, hilly areas." The plan to permit electric buses for intercity travel and tourism purposes will be implemented after the competitive bidding for all cities is completed, the officials mentioned above said. Also read | Govt rushes to find demand for electric trucks under PM E-Drive after bare FY25 Under the scheme, nine cities with over 40 million people are eligible to receive subsidized e-buses, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat and Pune. On 22 May, heavy industries minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said Bengaluru will get 4500 electric buses, Hyderabad 2,000, Delhi 2,800, Ahmedabad 1,000, and Surat 600, in the first phase. Tendering of the first phase of buses allotted on 22 May will begin in 4-6 weeks, the second official said. Competitive bidding for the supply of the first phase of buses allotted on 22 May will begin in 4-6 weeks, the second official said. Incentives for each bus sold Typically, the cost of an electric bus is approximately ₹1 crore. Under the PM E-drive scheme, the Centre is planning to dole out a ₹20-35 lakh incentive for every electric bus sold. The development assumes importance as nearly 40% of the scheme is set aside for the rollout of 14,028 electric buses till FY26. Transport-related emissions in cities and along highways currently account for 10-15% of the pollution in our cities, said Viral Thakker, partner & leader - sustainability & climate, Deloitte South Asia. Also read | ARAI likely to plan division of auto testing agencies allocation 'There are several advantages of using buses for intercity travel - a large and efficient network of buses can replace cars and provide alternative transportation options to passengers. Electric buses are also a good addition to tourism locations as India looks to develop a number of sustainable tourism destinations," said Thakker. Subsuming schemes The PM E-drive scheme, announced in September 2024, subsumed the Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS), which ran from April 2024 to September 2024. The EMPS and PM E-drive scheme came after a decade of electric mobility incentivization under two iterations of the FAME scheme. FAME stands for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (and Hybrid) vehicles. The PM E-drive scheme, set to run for two years till the end of FY26, marked a change in the focus of incentivisation of electric mobility, as it focused on incentivising public transportation to become electric, along with a focus on sunrise sectors such as electric trucks and ambulances. It also incentivised electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers. The scheme mandates manufacturers to provide electric vehicles to consumers at a lower price. The government then reimburses manufacturers. Also read | More than 6 lakh electric 2, 3-wheelers sold under PM E-Drive scheme since April While electric two- and three-wheelers under the scheme are given direct incentives on purchase, the procedure to incentivize electric buses is little more complex. First, the government gathered demand for electric buses from state governments. After this, it finalized allocation to each city mentioned in the scheme. The next step is to conduct competitive bidding for such buses, where state transport utilities would bid for such buses and secure them at affordable rates.
