The Centre has extended the validity of the PM E-Drive scheme by two years for electric buses, ambulances and electric trucks. A gazette notification said the scheme will now lapse in March 2028 instead of March 2026. Fund allocation for the scheme has been maintained at ₹10,900 crore. The heavy industries ministry said no additional allocation will be made under the scheme.
“In case the funds for the scheme or its relevant sub-components are exhausted prior to the terminal date of the scheme (March 31, 2028), then the scheme or its relevant subcomponents will be closed accordingly,” the ministry said, adding that the terminal date for registered e-2W, registered e-rickshaws and e-cart and registered e-3W (L5) will be March 31, 2026.
Union heavy industries minister HD Kumaraswamy had last month launched a portal to facilitate subsidies for electric trucks under the scheme. “Diesel trucks, though constituting only 3 per cent of the total vehicle population, contribute to 42 per cent of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions and significantly worsen air pollution,” Kumaraswamy had said.
To encourage decarbonisation, the Centre is offering an incentive of up to ₹9.6 lakh for switching to electric trucks. The scheme, with an outlay of ₹500 crore, is expected to support the deployment of about 5,600 e-trucks across the country.
An official statement said a dedicated provision for 1,100 e-trucks registered in Delhi has been made with an estimated outlay of ₹100 crore. Beneficiaries will need to submit scrapping certificates of old trucks to be eligible to claim subsidies under the scheme. Officials said these certificates can be purchased through authorised retailers from scrapping centres.
