Subsidy on Battery Operated Vehicles (Chandigarh)

What is the Subsidy on Battery Operated Vehicles in Chandigarh?

Subsidy on Battery Operated Vehicles is an incentive of the Chandigarh Administration meant to move city households off petrol and diesel and onto electric two, three and four wheelers. The scheme began as a small purchase subsidy of the Department of Science & Technology and has since grown into the much larger incentive structure of the Chandigarh Electric Vehicle Policy, which the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) implements.

Under the original Department of Science & Technology notification, a resident of Chandigarh buying any battery operated vehicle, a 2, 3 or 4 wheeler: was paid 15 percent of the cost of the vehicle or Rs 5,000, whichever is more. The incentive was released first come, first served, and the department notified a small annual quota of 10 two wheelers, 5 three wheelers and 5 four wheelers, subject to availability of funds. Buyers had to submit the invoice in original along with a copy of the Registration Certificate issued by the Registering & Licensing Authority, Chandigarh.

That quota is now dwarfed by the incentives available through the Chandigarh EV Policy. According to the Chandigarh Administration's EV portal at chandigarhev.com, more than Rs 34.39 crore has already been released to 5,813 vehicle buyers, and over 3,400 incentives have gone to electric two wheeler buyers alone. The incentive cap for electric four wheelers was raised from 2,000 to 3,500 vehicles as demand outran the original ceiling.

The scheme is often searched for locally as the Chandigarh battery operated vehicle subsidy or simply the Chandigarh EV subsidy; both refer to the same family of incentives run out of Paryavaran Bhawan, Sector 19B.

How much money does the Chandigarh EV subsidy give?

Two separate benefit structures exist, and buyers should know which one applies to them.

The original Department of Science & Technology subsidy

• 15 percent of the cost of the battery operated vehicle, or Rs 5,000, whichever is more.
• Applies to battery operated 2, 3 and 4 wheelers.
• Released first come, first served against a notified quota of 10 two wheelers, 5 three wheelers and 5 four wheelers.
• The vehicle must be purchased in Chandigarh.

The Chandigarh EV Policy incentive, administered by CREST

• Personal electric cars: up to Rs 10,000 per kWh of battery capacity, subject to a ceiling of Rs 1,50,000 per vehicle.
• Electric two wheelers, e-autos, e-carts and e-goods carriers each have their own notified per-kWh rate and ceiling, published on chandigarhev.com.
• Zero registration fee and full road tax exemption on electric vehicles registered in Chandigarh.
• Numbers of eligible vehicles in each category are capped; the electric four wheeler cap now stands at 3,500 units.

Both incentives are paid by direct transfer into the buyer's own bank account after the claim is verified. No dealer can collect the incentive on the buyer's behalf, and no agent fee is payable to anyone for filing the claim.

Who is eligible for the Chandigarh battery operated vehicle subsidy?

You can claim the subsidy if:

• You are a resident of Chandigarh and can prove the address with a voter card, ration card, electricity bill or similar document.
• You have purchased the vehicle in Chandigarh from a dealer operating in the Union Territory.
• The vehicle is registered with the Registering & Licensing Authority, Chandigarh, and the RC is in your name.
• The vehicle model falls in a category for which the incentive is notified and the quota for that category has not been exhausted.
• You have a PAN card, an Aadhaar card and a bank account in your own name for the direct transfer.

You are not eligible if:

• The vehicle was bought or registered outside Chandigarh, including in Mohali, Panchkula or Zirakpur.
• The category quota is already full for the year. Incentives run first come, first served and stop when the notified number of vehicles is reached or funds run out.
• You have already drawn the incentive for the same vehicle, or you are claiming a second time for a vehicle in a category where only one incentive per buyer is allowed.
• The vehicle is a conventional petrol, diesel or CNG vehicle, or a hybrid that does not meet the battery-electric definition in the policy.
• The invoice or registration certificate is in another person's name than the applicant.

A low-speed electric two wheeler that is exempt from registration under the Motor Vehicles Act is a special case. The Department of Science & Technology releases the subsidy for such a vehicle on production of the invoice, followed by a physical verification of the vehicle by departmental staff instead of an RC check.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Chandigarh EV subsidy online

1. Open the Chandigarh Administration EV portal at chandigarhev.com and go to the member login page.
2. Register or sign in using your PAN number as the username, and set a password.
3. Select the application format for your vehicle category — electric two wheeler, e-car, e-auto, e-cart or e-goods carrier. Category formats and affidavit templates are downloadable from the portal.
4. Fill in your personal details, the vehicle details including battery capacity in kWh, the dealer name and the registration number.
5. Upload the invoice, the Registration Certificate, residence proof, PAN, Aadhaar and bank details, and any affidavit the format requires.
6. Submit the application and note the reference number shown on screen.
7. Track the claim in real time using the application status link on the same portal.

How to claim the Department of Science & Technology subsidy offline

1. Assemble the invoice in original together with a copy of the Registration Certificate issued by the RLA, Chandigarh.
2. Submit them to the Department of Science & Technology, Chandigarh Administration, at Paryavaran Bhawan, Madhya Marg, Sector 19B, Chandigarh.
3. If your two wheeler does not require registration, ask the department to schedule the physical verification of the vehicle that replaces the RC requirement.
4. Collect the acknowledgement and keep it until the subsidy is credited.

How do I check my application or payment status?

Applications filed on chandigarhev.com can be tracked from the applicant's own dashboard, which shows whether the claim is under scrutiny, approved or paid. The same portal also carries a live count of vehicles incentivised and money disbursed in each category, which tells you how much of the quota is left before you buy.

For a claim filed offline, follow up with the Department of Science & Technology on 0172-2703982 or 0172-2703968, or with CREST on 0172-2771919 and the toll free number 1800 212 771 919.

Why do Chandigarh EV subsidy claims get rejected?

• Vehicle bought outside Chandigarh. The purchase and the registration must both be in the Union Territory. This is the single most common rejection.
• Quota exhausted for the category. Incentives are first come, first serve; a claim filed after the notified number of vehicles is reached is closed even if everything else is in order.
• Name mismatch between the invoice, the Registration Certificate, the PAN and the bank account.
• Battery capacity not stated on the invoice, which makes the per-kWh calculation impossible for e-cars.
• Model not in the eligible list notified under the policy.
• Incomplete or unsigned affidavit where the category format requires one.

Most of these are fixable. A missing battery-capacity figure can be corrected by asking the dealer for a revised invoice, and a name mismatch is normally cured by producing an Aadhaar or PAN copy along with an affidavit.

Where do I take a complaint about the EV subsidy?

• CREST, 4th floor, Paryavaran Bhawan, Sector 19B, Chandigarh
• Phone: 0172-2771919, toll free 1800 212 771 919
• Email: crestchandigarh@gmail.com
• Department of Science & Technology and Renewable Energy, 1st floor, Paryavaran Bhawan, Madhya Marg, Sector 19B, Chandigarh to 0172-2703982, 0172-2703968

Complaints that are not resolved at the department can be lodged through the Chandigarh Administration's public grievance route linked from chandigarh.gov.in. Applying is free at every stage; no charge is payable to any dealer, agent or middleman for filing or "speeding up" an incentive claim.