Green Number Plates Introduced For Electric Cars In India — Mahindra eVerito The First Car

The fleet of eVertios is owned by Bangalore-based start-up, Lithium Urban Technology. Currently, India has got five types of number plate: private (black in white), non-private or commercial (black in yellow), rentals (black in yellow), foreign consulates (white in blue) and of course, the new white-in-green plates of electric vehicles.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, shared that the government-approved green registration or licence plates will encourage more people to shift to electric vehicles. Moreover, the green colour also signifies the eco-friendliness of EVs — the emission-free mode of transportation.

It was only recently that the government decided to abolish all permits for EVs and those running on alternative fuels such as CNG, ethanol or biofuel. Now, all vehicles including cabs, buses and even auto rickshaws can run across India permit-free. The states have already been notified about the same.

However, electric vehicles are still imposed a GST of 12% and it is very unlikely to come down any time soon. No news has been shared about the EV Policy for India either.

But as a sign of promise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared at the MOVE Global Mobility Summit, "We are already the fifth largest producer of solar energy in the world and sixth largest producer of renewable energy. We have also championed the cause of solar energy globally through the International Solar Alliance."

He further added that India is planning to generate 175 GigaWatts of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2022. A good proportion of this energy will be employed for powering electric vehicles.

If that is indeed the case, we can expect much-reduced running costs for EVs. As for the initial cost, the infrastructure and technology required to mass produce electric vehicles still haven't efficiently developed.

Thoughts On Green Vehicles And Their New Green Number Plates

With the implementation of the new green number plates, the Indian government seems to be very serious about the mass-introduction of clean eco-friendly modes of transportation. The pollution levels in the country are on the rise and officials are trying their best to keep them in check. Though we wouldn't want the entire automotive market to turn into just electric products, we hope that the government will take necessary measures to promote such vehicles working on alternative forms of energy.