Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to reduce electricity charges at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Gadkari said a reduction to Rs 5 per unit, between 8 am and 6 pm, would promote the EV segment in the state.
Gadkari, speaking at the inauguration of six EKA Mobility manufacturing plants, which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also attended, said he has also asked the Union Ministry of Power to lower the rate at charging stations on national highways, where it currently stands at Rs 22 per unit.
Fadnavis, accepting the request, said the state would bring in processes to reduce per-unit charges at charging stations. He said Maharashtra has surplus solar energy, enough to support its EV charging ecosystem, and that renewable energy would make up 52 per cent of the state's power mix by 2030 and 65 per cent by 2035.
Fadnavis also asked EKA Mobility to build and deploy 50,000 electric buses in the next three years. He also asked the company to promote "Make in Maharashtra".
Gadkari asked the auto industry, and EKA in particular, to reduce dependence on China for electric components. He said such imports currently stand at 30 to 40 per cent.
EKA Mobility inaugurated six plants at the event, the largest of them at Pithampur. A company presentation put the six plants' capacity at 40,000 vehicles a year, with Rs 3,500 crore invested. In the first half of FY27, the company sold 500 electric buses and 1,268 eSCVs.
The presentation also detailed the Bus & Truck Plant at Koregaon Bhima, Pune. The 580,000 sq ft facility can make 4,800 buses and 4,000 trucks a year and employs 2,000 people directly. It has CNC laser cutting, robotic welding, lifter-based assembly without pits and an automated conveyorised robotic paint shop. It will make the EKA 55T truck in 6x4 and 4x2 configurations, and buses on monocoque and ladder structures.
Other guests at the event included Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel H D Kumaraswamy, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, Maharashtra Minister of Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Dada Patil and Force Motors Chairman Abhay Firodia were listed as guests of honour.