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NEW DELHI: Ola Electric has admitted to selling “off-board chargers” to nearly one lakh scooter buyers and has agreed to its subsidy payment under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) being withheld by the government.
The move came a day after the ministry of heavy industry (MHI) served a notice for recovery of over Rs 133 crore, apart from penal interest, from Hero Electric Vehicles and around Rs 116 crore from Okinawa Autotech, along with deregistration of companies from the scheme.
On Sunday, Ola Electric told the ministry that it has decided to “reimburse” the price of “off-board chargers” to those who had bought it as an accessory when they purchased scooters.
Ola has, however, maintained that a charger is an optional accessory and not an integral part of the vehicle. Since March, it has added “off-board chargers” as part of the ex-factory price and sought release of Rs 500-crore claims that are pending with the government, sources told TOI.
Hero EV and Okinawa have been told that MHI proposes to deregister them from FAME-II for furnishing false undertaking of adhering to the phased manufacturing programme (PMP) and violation of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR).
Hero EV CEO Sohinder Gill said the company’s scooters “fully comply with the CMVR/FAME certificates and their extensions in the subject period. Hence, the question of refund, etc does not apply”. Okinawa Autotech MD Jeetender Sharma maintained that it has not received the notice and argued that relaxations were offered due to Covid to all industry players.
The move came a day after the ministry of heavy industry (MHI) served a notice for recovery of over Rs 133 crore, apart from penal interest, from Hero Electric Vehicles and around Rs 116 crore from Okinawa Autotech, along with deregistration of companies from the scheme.
On Sunday, Ola Electric told the ministry that it has decided to “reimburse” the price of “off-board chargers” to those who had bought it as an accessory when they purchased scooters.
Ola has, however, maintained that a charger is an optional accessory and not an integral part of the vehicle. Since March, it has added “off-board chargers” as part of the ex-factory price and sought release of Rs 500-crore claims that are pending with the government, sources told TOI.
Hero EV and Okinawa have been told that MHI proposes to deregister them from FAME-II for furnishing false undertaking of adhering to the phased manufacturing programme (PMP) and violation of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR).
Hero EV CEO Sohinder Gill said the company’s scooters “fully comply with the CMVR/FAME certificates and their extensions in the subject period. Hence, the question of refund, etc does not apply”. Okinawa Autotech MD Jeetender Sharma maintained that it has not received the notice and argued that relaxations were offered due to Covid to all industry players.
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