Powering Tamil Nadu’s EV drive with policy push
The policy, which was released by Chief Minister MK Stalin earlier this year, envisages attracting investments worth Rs 50,000 crore in EV manufacturing, creation of 1.5 lakh new jobs during the policy period, and development of a robust EV ecosystem in the State.
Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicles Policy 2023 was released by Chief Minister MK Stalin
CHENNAI: There is perhaps no clearer indication than the Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicles Policy 2023 to show the State government’s seriousness in viewing EVs not just as a sector within the automobile sector but as a key area that is simultaneously a key source of investment and also the future of transportation.
The policy, which was released by Chief Minister MK Stalin earlier this year, envisages attracting investments worth Rs 50,000 crore in EV manufacturing, creation of 1.5 lakh new jobs during the policy period, and development of a robust EV ecosystem in the State.
The policy objectives include transforming into the preferred destination for EV manufacturing in South-East Asia by developing robust infrastructure and industrial ecosystem, and creating indigenous EV manufacturing value chains by attracting EV OEM and component manufacturers to establish units here; accelerating adoption of EVs by providing initial impetus for early adopters through special demand incentives and developing charging infrastructure with favourable power tariffs through public/ private measures; enhancing the development of the EV ecosystem by developing industry-academia linkages to create a skilled workforce pool, promoting R&D and innovations in automotive and shared mobility, and promoting recycling industry to develop a circular economy; developing ‘EV Cities’ by promoting Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Madurai, Salem, and Tirunelveli as pilot cities for implementing e-mobility solutions and promoting electrification of commercial and public transport fleets.
Charging infrastructure
The government is in the process of amending the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, in line with the Model Building Bylaws (MBBL) 2016 for EV Charging Infrastructure issued by the Union government.
Additionally, the State would amendment building and construction laws to ensure that charging infrastructure is integrated at the planning stage itself for all new constructions and apartments in cities, all existing apartment associations with more than 50 families and existing residential townships with over 500 families shall be encouraged to install charging stations, and commercial building operators shall be encouraged to establish EV charging stations/points in hotels, shopping malls, cinema halls, and apartments.
Phasing out ICE vehiclesfrom public, pvt fleets
The government is also working on a roadmap to electrify public and institutional fleets in a phased manner. The vehicles operated by the State Transport Undertaking (STUs), which constitute a substantial percentage of the public transport, will be electrified through a phased augmentation and replacement plan. The aim is to increase the share of electric buses to 30% of the fleet by 2030.
It will also develop bus charging development through budgetary allocations, and explore the possibility of providing this charging infrastructure as a service for private operators. Fleets of educational institutions and private operators would be encouraged to transition to EVs.
Staff bus operators for industrial establishments and service sector enterprises would also be encouraged, given the advantage in the total cost of ownership. Aggregators would be encouraged to partner with e-mobility providers and EV manufacturers to phase out ICE vehicles.
