India's EV makers Tata, Mahindra seek to block hybrids in gov't fleets

India's biggest automakers are seeking to block a pollution management body's attempts to promote hybrid vehicles in government fleets in and around New Delhi, saying it will disrupt adoption of cleaner battery electric cars and hit investments, documents show.

- 

Companies, including Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors are lobbying the ministry of heavy industries to overturn an attempt to equate hybrids with electric vehicles (EVs) and ensure incentives for all government programmes are restricted to electric models, five company letters seen by Reuters show.

In a May 2 advisory, the Commission for Air Quality Management, tasked with fixing severe air pollution levels in India's capital region, categorized strong hybrids as “cleaner vehicles” recommending their use in government fleets, a move that caught carmakers by surprise.

Given the “ultra-high density” of vehicular traffic in New Delhi and nearby areas, there is a need to move away from “polluting vehicles, dependent purely on fossil fuels like diesel and petrol,” the commission said.