PNGRB calls for equal policy treatment of EVs, CNG and LNG vehicles

India needs a level policy playing field for electric, compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas vehicles, according to Anjani Kumar Tiwari, a member of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board. Speaking at the launch of a comparative assessment by The Energy and Resources Institute and PNGRB, Tiwari said consumer economics should remain central when policies for different vehicle technologies are designed. He said parity could require a combination of taxation, subsidies, infrastructure support and other policy measures.

Without a balanced framework, consumers would struggle to compare the actual costs and benefits of different vehicle options, he said. The TERI-PNGRB report identifies areas where infrastructure development, incentives and tax structures require greater alignment across fuel categories. Tiwari said leaving any segment without support would make the overall transport-fuel system unbalanced.

Addressing recent increases in CNG prices, he attributed the pressure to higher input costs following renewed conflict in West Asia. India’s immediate priority was to maintain fuel availability, he said, adding that prices could eventually fall and the reduction could be passed on to consumers once supply disruptions stabilised. Tiwari also highlighted compressed biogas as a way to reduce India’s dependence on imported gas.

Under the government’s target of establishing 5,000 compressed-biogas plants by 2030, he said production could reach about 30–40 million metric standard cubic metres per day if the plants operated at 50% capacity. Actual output would depend on feedstock yields, he added.