Why cities like Delhi Bangalore are at the forefront in EV adoption

Cities like Delhi and Bangalore are leading the way for India to become an Electric Vehicle (EV) nation.

Electric Vehicles aren’t unknown on Indian roads anymore. Whether the adoption is increasing because of Tesla’s long awaited entry into the Indian market, government initiatives to achieve UN SDG goals, or a general sense of conscience to control air pollution for a better future, the fact remains that the sales numbers are going up.

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The EV startup ecosystem too has been contributing in a big way. For example, Charzer has been adding to EV infrastructure. Ather Energy has been bringing forth cool new vehicle designs. Autobot India is preparing an EV workforce.

With all these factors coming together, EV adoption has been up in India. Some cities though are way ahead of others, Delhi and Bangalore toeing the frontline.

According to The Indian Express, the share of electric vehicles in Delhi has spiked to 9% in the November quarter in comparison to the all-India average of 1.6%. This makes Delhi the leading state in India in EV penetration.

Another city very much competing with Delhi is Bangalore, with Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM), the nodal agency responsible for EV growth promotion, establishing EV charging stations in 74 locations, the number of EV charging stations going up to 136 as of September 2021.

The Tech Panda spoke to Sameer Ranjan Jaiswal, Co-Founder, Charzer, who says that cities like Delhi and Bangalore are truly becoming EV cities.

In North India, be it E-rickshaws or E-autos they have really taken a hold and have started replacing petrol autos. I think people living in Delhi can vouch for that

According to him, currently, the market for electric vehicles is being led by electric two wheelers and three wheelers with four wheelers also coming up in tow.

“Now, when we talk about electric three wheelers a lot of North Indian cities, like Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad have seen adoption. In North India, be it E-rickshaws or E-autos they have really taken a hold and have started replacing petrol autos. I think people living in Delhi can vouch for that,” he says.

“Even in our own experience with our dealer partners, the number of walk-ins and the number of sales in cities like Bangalore and Delhi has doubled. With more companies pouring in a lot of money into developing high quality vehicles, awareness is definitely increasing day by day,” he adds.

Electric Vehicles are Excellent for Intra-City Commute

In Delhi, eight to nine out of 10 auto rickshaws currently plying on the roads are electric. However, moving to the general public’s adoption of electric vehicles, electric two wheelers have been steadily increasing in major cities.

“Already, it is crossing 1% of the total petrol vehicles. In terms of the cities the charge is led again by Delhi, Bangalore, and then followed by cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Jaipur,” Jaiswal adds.

People living in these metro cities have to travel long distances so, it makes a lot of sense for them to switch to Electric Vehicles, because they’re able to save up to INR10,000 on petrol a month

The reason behind this, he says, is because Electric Vehicles are excellent for intra-city commute.

“People living in these metro cities have to travel long distances so, it makes a lot of sense for them to switch to Electric Vehicles, because they’re able to save up to INR10,000 on petrol a month,” he explains.

Post COVID Lack of Public Transport with Safety Protocols

Jaiswal adds that, especially post COVID, the lack of public transport or the lack of COVID-19 safety protocols in public transport, has also become a major boost for people adopting electric vehicles in these cities.

People were looking at an alternative which could provide them more distance and independence. This is where electric vehicles became a better option

“People were looking at an alternative which could provide them more distance and independence. This is where electric vehicles became a better option. So, people started adopting these electric vehicles more and more in these bigger cities,” he explains.

Improved Charging Infrastructure

In a general sense, electric vehicle sales have already crossed 1% or more than 1% to petrol vehicle sales. In fact, in some cities, it has even risen to 5%. Another reason, says Jaiswal, for this is the effort being taken in setting up charging infrastructure. The local governments have also made strong EV policies that support EV adoption.

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“Delhi has been providing a lot of subsidies for electric vehicle adoption. They have also been putting a lot of emphasis on setting up charging infra. Similar is the case with Telangana, Gujarat, and Maharashtra government. They have strong policy support for EV adoption and subsidies for the customers who are looking to purchase EVs has also been helping in this case,” he concludes.