Maharashtra needs 50,000 electric buses in 3-4 years, says CM Fadnavis

Pune, Oct 30 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the state would require around 50,000 electric buses over the next three to four years, but the existing manufacturing capacity was insufficient to meet the demand.

"Electric buses are our priority in Maharashtra. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation alone intends to procure 10,000 electric buses, while the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) requires around 30,000 buses. Pune and Nagpur municipal corporations also have substantial requirements," he said.

Speaking after inaugurating Pinnacle Industries' new manufacturing facility here, Fadnavis said he had urged the company to expand its production capacity to cater to the growing demand. "Buses manufactured under the Make in Maharashtra initiative would be more convenient for us," he said.

Fadnavis also said Maharashtra plans to add 46 GW of power-generation capacity by 2030, of which 91% is expected to come from green power. The state has also prepared a master plan to expand EV charging infrastructure across Maharashtra, with manufacturers.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was also present at the event.

Gadkari seeks lower EV charging rates in Maharashtra

At the event, Gadkari urged the Maharashtra government to reduce electricity charges at EV charging stations to ₹5 per unit between 8 am and 6 pm to encourage faster adoption of electric vehicles, according to reports. He also said he had approached the Union Power Ministry to reduce the ₹22 per unit charging rate currently applicable at charging stations on national highways.

Fadnavis said the state government would initiate processes to reduce per-unit charging costs. He also said Maharashtra had surplus solar power that could support the state's EV charging ecosystem. The state aims to have renewables account for 52% of its power mix by 2030 and 65% by 2035, according to the reports .

The inauguration also saw the opening of six manufacturing facilities of EKA Mobility and Pinnacle Industries. The facilities take the group's total manufacturing footprint to 11 plants, with combined capacity to produce more than 40,000 electric vehicles annually, according to TOI Auto. The group has invested more than ₹3,500 crore in its electric commercial vehicle manufacturing base.