EV makers no longer need subsidy: Gadkari

New Delhi: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said there is no need to provide subsidy to electric vehicle makers as consumers are now choosing EVs or CNG vehicleson their own. Addressing BNEF Summit, Gadkari said initially costs of manufacturing electric vehicles were high, but as demand has increased, production costs have dropped, making further subsidies unnecessary. "Consumers are now choosing electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles on their own and I do not think we need to provide much subsidy for electric vehicles," the road transport and highways minister said.

The minister pointed out that GST on electric vehicle is lower than petrol and diesel vehicles. "In my opinion, manufacturing of electric vehicles no longer needs to be subsidised by the government. "The ask for subsidies isn't justified anymore," he said. At present, 28 per cent GST is levied on vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, including hybrids, and 5 per cent on electric vehicles. 

While ruling out additional taxes on petrol and diesel vehicles, Gadkari said the overall shift away from fossil fuels to alternative fuels would be a gradual process, given the size of India's economy and energy needs. The minister also opined that further reduction in cost of lithium-ion battery will bring down the cost of electric vehicles. "Within 2 years, the cost of diesel, petrol and electric vehicles will be same...at the starting time, cost of EVs were very high, so we needed to subsidised EV manufacturers," he said.