Centre to provide 30% subsidy on electric ambulances

 The centre is preparing a draft to provide up to 30% subsidy of the cost of producing electric ambulances to encourage local manufacturing, officials said.

Towards this, the Centre is preparing guidelines for incentivising electric ambulance manufacturing under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, the officials said.

Funds for the subsidies will be met out of a INR 500 crore allocation under PM E-DRIVE scheme e-ambulances deployment, the officials said. PM E-DRIVE, launched on October 1, has a total outlay of INR 10,900 crore for a two-year period.

The performance and safety standards of e-ambulances eligible for support are being formulated by the ministries of heavy industries in consultation with the ministries of health, and road transport.

 “Guidelines will be finalised in consultation with the National Health Mission (NHM). Subsidies will be linked to the battery capacity in a vehicle,” a senior official told ET, adding PM E-DRIVE funds will supplement the support from NHM for these ambulances.

“These subsidies will be up to 30% of the electric vehicles cost to incentivise early-stage product developers,” the official added.

India currently has four types of ambulances starting from two-wheelers, extending up to patient transport vehicles, basic, and advanced life support variants.