All Clean-Fuel Vehicles Are Equal Before PMO

Makers of electric vehicles had complained about incentives for hybrids

- Manas Pimpalkhare & Utpal Bhaskar

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) believes the Centre needs to support all clean-fuel vehicles, including hybrids, even as a rift widens in the Indian auto industry over hybrids being put on par with pure electric vehicles (EVs).

The stand, confirmed by two top government officials, comes after makers of electric and hybrid vehicles sought the Centre's favour after several states proposed incentivising electric, hybrid and CNG vehicles equally.

"I do not understand why there is so much lobbying. State policies may differ, but the central government has supported both EVs and hybrids in clean mobility schemes. It cannot be that you incentivise one and not the other. The idea is to help all forms and all clean fuels," one of the two officials said on the condition of anonymity.