'Hybrid diesel vehicle manufacturers use incentives for electric vehicles'

In a study on electric vehicles in India, the environment watchdog Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that only around five percent vehicles under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicle (FAME) scheme are electric vehicles. 

It has also concluded that around 60 percent of the FAME incentives in tax concessions are used by mild hybrid diesel vehicle manufacturers.

"These mild hybrids are a marginal improvement over conventional diesel models and are much cheaper than the electric ones. The main purpose of scaling up strong hybrid and electric vehicles for the big transition towards clean and zero emissions has not been ticked off," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research, and advocacy, CSE.

 She also stated that the analysis of the first phase of FAME programme has revealed that the agenda of electro-mobility is going nowhere. 

"Out of the five percent, three have been strong hybrids and only two percent electric cars. It blurs the central government's vision of 100 percent electric vehicles by 2030," added Roychowdhury. 

In the study, it was found that out of Rs 70 crore spent in 2015-16, 57 percent was spent on diesel mild hybrids.

 "The programme has not worked for public transport. No incentives have been given to either electric buses or three-wheelers," Roychowdury said. 

The Union Minister for Power and Renewable Energy Piyush Goel had fixed a target of six to seven million electric vehicles by 2020 but this seems like a far-fetched dream.

According to the data submitted by the Department of Heavy Industries to the Lok Sabha, of the incentives given under the FAME programme 81 per cent have gone to cars and 19 per cent to two-wheelers.