In push to widen EV reach, Ola's Aggarwal wants incentives to go on

Leading electric two-wheeler startups have joined the battle over subsidy as the Union Budget draws closer.

- SURAJEET DAS GUPTA

Ola Electric and Ather Energy have made a strong pitch for the government's incentive programmes to continue so that EV adoption goes up.

Bhavish Aggarwal, founder and chairman and managing director of Ola Electric, told Business Standard on Thursday: "We look forward to continued support from the government for widespread EV adoption with a multiplier effect on the broader industry." In an interview last July to this newspaper, Aggarwal had said that Ola was working towards a "no subsidy regime" and could live without it. This was soon after the government had reduced the subsidy on electric two wheelers under FAME 2.

One year later, on Thursday, the Ola Electric founder said: "We believe the government has been at the absolute forefront in building a world leading policy and incentive framework for the EV industry in the country." He pointed out that even globally, government support has been instrumental in building momentum for transformative industries.