The Prime Minister’s E-Drive Scheme has been approved by the Cabinet, with an investment of ₹10,900 crore to promote battery-powered two-wheelers, ambulances, trucks, and three-wheelers. This was announced by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw during a Cabinet briefing on September 11. The goal of this scheme is to boost electric mobility in the country, and this investment is separate from the PLI scheme for the auto and auto components sector.
Under the PM E-Drive, 100% support will be provided for charging infrastructure at 88,500 locations. The major components of the scheme include a subsidy/demand incentive of ₹3,679 crore to encourage electric two-wheelers (E-2W), three-wheelers (E-3W), ambulances, trucks, and other emerging EVs. The scheme will support 24.79 lakh E-2Ws, 3.16 lakh E-3Ws, and 14,028 electric buses.
This scheme follows the second phase of the FAME-II scheme, which ran until March 31, 2024, during which subsidies were provided for 13,21,800 electric vehicles with a total outlay of ₹11,500 crore. It was later replaced by the ₹500 crore Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) 2024, which was initially valid for four months and has now been extended until September 31, 2024.
