A total of 13,957 electric two- and four-wheelers were sold among the top five states (in terms of volume/sales) in 2016-17, with Gujarat leading the charge with 4,330 vehicles. This information comes from a study by the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), the apex national body for EVs.

The report says that India is in a nascent stage for witnessing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) with its aim towards achieving a greener and better future, the country needs to address some of the impediments that hinder its progress.

The study finds that the top five states in terms of EV sales in the last fiscal year were Gujarat (4,330 units), West Bengal (2,846), Uttar Pradesh (2,467), Rajasthan (2,388) and Maharashtra (1,926). Overall, a total of 25,000 EVs were sold across the country in 2016-17, which is a far cry from what the government aims to achieve by 2030 – all-electric mobility.

The study, not surprisingly, found out that electric two-wheelers continued to dominate EV sales, making up for 92 percent of the total, the remaining 8 percent being four-wheelers. Another highlight of the study is the fact that the smog-hit Delhi, which initially used to top the list, saw barely 1,072 EVs being sold in FY2016-17  and has dropped down to seventh place.

Sohinder Gill: “Delay in subsidies and weak EV infrastructure need to be addressed.”
Commenting on the study, Sohinder Gill, director corporate affairs, SMEV (pictured above) said, “As far as other states are concerned, there is a dire need for them to go electric on an urgent basis. It’s good to see so many people supporting this transition and adapting to electric vehicles to curb the alarming pollution levels and aiming to reduce emission levels of greenhouse gases. However, this is not enough for India. Delhi being the national capital, unfortunately, lags in comparison to these states. Challenges such as delay in subsidies and weak infrastructure need to be addressed.”

“State governments, along with various industry bodies, must work together and come out with the formulation of newer and greener policies for India to achieve the global emission norms, which is to make India a leader in the reduction of greenhouse gases and aim for lower pollution levels in all aspects. In the next three years, we should come out with sound and comprehensive policy that also implemented seamlessly at least to 40 to 50 cities as a starter for long-term course for EV industry based on the learnings and pitfalls on the experiments conducted in these cities ‘’added Gill.

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