This move should make it easier for customers to opt for petrol-electric hybrid cars, which are usually more expensive than their non-electrified counterparts.
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government, through a July circular, implemented a policy which will have the road tax for “strong hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) waived off . At present, the UP Government charge an eight per cent road tax for cars priced below Rs 10 lakh, and 10 per cent for cars priced above Rs 10 lakh. With the implementation of this new policy, buyers of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles will only have to pay the normal registration processing fee but zero road tax.
The most affordable hybrid car in India is the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, with a starting price of Rs 16.66 lakh (ex-showroom), on which the customer would have to pay Rs 1.69 lakh registration charge if they are registering the car within UP. On the other hand, the most expensive electrified vehicle currently on sale is the Lamborghini Revuelto, which costs Rs 8.89 crore (ex-showroom). On the Lamborghini, the tax savings would amount to Rs 88.90 lakh, which is a significant amount, even for a car in that price bracket.
Examples of strong hybrid cars include the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara/Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, the Toyota Innova Hycross/Maruti Suzuki Invicto, the Honda City e:HEV, the Toyota Camry, the Lexus ES, NX, and RX, the Toyota Vellfire/Lexus LM, and the Lexus LS and LC 500h.
Examples of plug-in hybrid cars include the Range Rover P460e and P550e, the Volvo S90 T8, and XC90 T8, BMW XM,, the Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance, the McLaren Artura, the Ferrari 296 duo as well as SF90 duo and, finally, the Lamborghini Revuelto.
“Strong hybrid,” or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) as they’re known the world over, are different from mild-hybrid vehicles in terms of how they apply electric power and the size and voltage of the battery packs. Mild-hybrids have smaller, low-voltage (12 or 48-volt) batteries of less than 1.0 kWh and smaller and lighter electric motors, usually replacing the alternator, belt and starter system, and handle stop-start and energy regeneration while also assisting the engine; which is mostly always on. HEVs are capable of operating as pure electric vehicles for short distances during which the engine is completely turned off. Plug-in hybrids have a larger battery than even a hybrid electric vehicle, can travel much further on electric power alone, and the battery in them can be charged via plugging into a socket like an EV, hence the name.
We hope to see more states implementing such concessions for hybrid car seekers. While this may be seen as a step forward to a more electrified future, it surely can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuel with considerable gains in fuel efficiency and reduction in tail-pipe emissions, particularly in urban areas.
