Indian govt to allow registration of electric vehicles without batteries

The key component in an electric vehicle (EV) is the battery unit and the range of the vehicle is determined by its capacity and efficiency. However, it also constitutes 30%-40% of the total cost of the vehicle. In order to bring down prices and increase adoption, the Indian government has taken an important decision to promote the use of EVs in the country. Vehicles that don’t come pre-fitted with batteries will be allowed to register.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered based on the type approval certificate issued by the Test Agency. Further, there is no need to specify the Make/Type or any other details of the battery for the purpose of registration. However, the prototype of the electrical vehicle, and the battery (regular battery or the swappable battery) is required to be type approved by the test Agencies specified under Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.