A step towards green Mumbai: Aaditya Thackeray launches Mumbai Electric Vehicle Cell – Hindustan Times

Mumbai: To promote the use of electric vehicles (EV) and progressing towards greener Mumbai, the state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday, inaugurated the Electric Vehicle Cell, as part of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP). The EV Cell will comprise government officials, e-mobility experts, and industry stakeholders, and will work to accelerate EV uptake in Mumbai.

Speaking at the inauguration, which took place at state government’s Sahyadri Guest House at Walkeshwar in Mumbai, Thackeray said, “The state government is moving towards sustainable development by taking environment-friendly measures against the backdrop of climate change. In this connection, the state has announced its revised electric vehicle policy. Efforts are being made to increase the use of electric vehicles and Mumbai Electric Vehicle Cell has been set up as a part of these efforts. While emphasis was given to increasing the fleet of EVs in public transport, the government has decided to purchase electric vehicles. Now increasing infrastructure such as charging stations to promote use of EVs at the individual level is also a focal point.”

Taking to social media, Thackeray said, “Today, we launched Mumbai EV Cell, a @mybmc & @WRIIndia partnership, to accelerate EV transition & adoption. With experts working towards sustainable mobility, this cell will assist in creating a network of charging stations, supporting battery development & market penetration.”

In 2019-2020, 7400 EVs were registered in the city, which increased to 9461 EV registrations in 2020-21. After the government rolled out its EV policy, 24,215 vehicles have been registered, Thackeray said at the inauguration. “I am proud to announce that since our policy announcement, Maharashtra has seen a jump of 157% in EV registrations. We are also swiftly working towards electrifying the BEST fleet. Currently, 386 BEST buses are electric and will soon touch 50% by 2023 and 100% before 2027,” according to a tweet by Thackeray.