Gadkari Declares: End of the Road for Petrol and Diesel Cars

Nitin Gadkari is often known for making announcements about ambitious projects. He was the one who made FASTags on cars compulsory and has always been a promoter of alternative fuel and electric cars. Nitin Gadkari recently announced that the central government is currently looking at completely eliminating petrol and diesel vehicles from the country within ten years.

This announcement will not be welcomed by many in the Indian automotive industry. We all know Nitin Gadkari’s love for electric vehicles, and the Union Transport Minister explained the cost benefits of using an EV compared to an ICE vehicle. The minister made this announcement while speaking at a rally in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi. Gadkari said that the Indian government is planning to shut its doors to petrol and diesel vehicles in India by 2034.

Gadkari told News Agency PTI, “I want to eliminate diesel and petrol vehicles from this country within ten years. Nowadays, electric scooters, cars, and buses have come. While you spend Rs 100 on diesel, they consume electricity worth Rs 4.”

While he speaks about banning petrol and diesel cars and promoting electric vehicles, Gadkari also talks about vehicles that run on alternative fuels. The aim of this ban on petrol and diesel vehicles is to reduce overall pollution and reduce India’s dependence on crude oil, which is mostly imported.

If you look at the trend globally, the sales of electric vehicles have slowed down. However, in India, things are different as the trend never reached us, or we are late to the party. Many manufacturers have seen this potential and are entering the market or planning to enter India. The central government is also giving concessions to those manufacturers who are importing electric vehicles. They have to pay lower import duties on such vehicles.

Nitin Gadkari shared this vision of his to replace diesel and petrol vehicles a few months ago; however, he didn’t share a timeline for the same. This time, he has come with a timeline. Nitin Gadkari a few months ago announced a proposal where he wanted to bring down the cost of strong hybrid cars in India by reducing the GST.

His plan was to reduce the 28 percent GST on strong hybrid vehicles to 15 percent. By doing so, the on-road price of strong hybrid cars will come down by at least 5 lakh. This would attract more buyers and promote the use of such vehicles in the country. However, last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reportedly decided against reducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on hybrid cars. The minister claims that the government wants to promote EVs first.

Coming up with an announcement to put a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles is not a well-thought-out idea. India is not ready for EVs. We still lack infrastructure, and the price is also a factor.

Most of the EVs that are currently available in the Indian market at the moment are expensive. The technology has to be made cheaper without compromising on quality to make it more affordable for customers.