NEW DELHI, October 18 — The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) notified the comprehensive operational guidelines on Sunday for the ₹10,900 Crore flagship 'PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement' (PM E-DRIVE) scheme, accelerating domestic electric vehicle ecosystem growth.
Succeeding the FAME-II framework, PM E-DRIVE provides upfront purchase subsidies supporting the deployment of 2.47 million electric two-wheelers (e-2W), 316,000 electric three-wheelers (e-3W), 14,028 electric public transport buses, and substantial fleets of electric ambulances. The operational architecture introduces Aadhaar-authenticated digital e-vouchers generated at dealership points, passing upfront purchase incentives seamlessly to retail consumers.
The Ministry allocated a dedicated ₹2,000 Crore outlay specifically for erecting 88,500 high-capacity public fast-charging stations across national highways, expressways, and metropolitan transit hubs, resolving range anxiety while promoting indigenised battery manufacturing under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC).
The policy evolution from the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP) through FAME-I/II to PM E-DRIVE, the regulatory structure of PLI Auto schemes, lithium battery chemistry standards (LFP vs NMC), and transport decarbonisation pledges under COP commitments represent staple themes across UPSC GS-III and engineering competitive exams.