Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
The connection for a public charging station shall be provided within 7 days in metro cities, 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas. Image Source: IANS
In the year 2023 (till March 15, 2023), the total number of electric vehicles registered in India stands at 2,56,980.
As per the latest data provided by the Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gurjar in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, India has currently 6,586 public operational Electric vehicles charging stations and 419 public EV charging stations are operational on National Highways across the country. He also mentioned about the revised consolidated guidelines and standards for public EV charging infrastructure revised by the Ministry of Power.
Some of the key features of these guidelines and standards are- Tariff for supply of electricity for Public Charging Station (PCS) shall be a single part tariff and shall not exceed “Average Cost of Supply” till March 31, 2025. This is one of the positive steps taken by the government in promoting the use of electric vehicles in the country. Most of the people are concerned about the electricity tariff for charging the batteries of the EVs but this step will boost the sales of EVs as more and more people considering the subsidised rate of electricity for charging will opt to purchase EVs. Also, Housing societies, Malls, Office Complexes, Restaurants, Hotels, etc. are allowed to install PCS for charging of vehicles including charging of visitor’s vehicles permitted to come in its premises. This will allow these places to have charging stations and people owning electric vehicles can easily and comfortably charge their vehicles while they enjoy shopping in a mall or simply have a good time with their family at home.
The connection for a PCS shall be provided within 7 days in metro cities, 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas. Appropriate Commission may specify a lesser time limit than the aforementioned limit. The government must ensure that the services reach the grassroots level at the earliest without much delay, so that even the people living in remote areas can play an active role in development of the country and can become proud owners of electric vehicles.
In the year 2023 (till March 15, 2023), the total number of electric vehicles registered in India stands at 2,56,980. Also, the electric vehicle sales in India in the calendar year 2022 has brought cheers to the automobile industry in the country. The electric vehicle (EV) market has shown an impressive growth in the past year. The 10,15,196 EVs sold in CY2022 represent a significant 210 percent year-on-year increase over the 3,27,796 units sold in CY2021. According to the Vahan portal of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the electric four-wheeler segment clocked cumulative sales of 37,792 units in 2022. The company with the largest portfolio of EVs, Tata Motors, sold 30,284 units and holds an 80 percent market share. With 3,390 vehicles, MG Motor India holds a 9 percent market share.
The electric vehicle market in India has come a long way from a sale of 7,772 units in 2015 to more than one million in 2022. The highest year-on-year growth in the sale of EVs in the country was recorded in 2016 at 531.22 percent. The EV sales jumped from 7,772 in 2015 to 49,065 in 2016. The rise in product availability in the market, the high cost of petrol, diesel, and compressed natural gas, as well as state subsidies and incentives provided under FAME II scheme, are all factors that contributed to the domestic EV industry's sales growth in 2022. Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME II), is a scheme launched by the Government of India to give a boost to development of Electric Vehicles. The Central Government has allocated a budget of Rs 10,000 crore for the second phase of this scheme. The scheme was launched to achieve the goals of National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP). Phase I lasted from 2015 to 2019 and Phase II of FAME was launched in 2019.
Apart from the above mentioned schemes, The Government on September 15, 2021 approved the PLI Scheme for Automotive Sector with a budgetary outlay of Rs. 25,938 crore to support domestic manufacturing of vehicles. Electric vehicles are covered under this PLI scheme. With the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) increasing in India, imports of lithium and lithium-ion increased by 56 percent year over year in 2022–23 (up to January). With a 5.8 percent share of the world's lithium reserves, India will become the world's seventh-largest producer following the recent discovery of 5.9 million tons of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir. This will assist India in reducing its reliance on imports for this critical mineral.
This year’s Auto Expo was held in Greater Noida from January 11 to January 18. This year’s Auto Expo was different from the earlier ones due to the dominance of electric vehicles. The event was jam-packed with EV displays. The largest auto exhibition in India featured up to 16 new four-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs). Maruti opened the 2023 International Auto Exhibition, and with the eVX, the brand has finally made a firm commitment to electric mobility. The design of this idea, which has a 60kwh battery pack giving over 500km of range, is dominated by bold style and boxy SUV dimensions. Apart from Maruti Suzuki, many auto giants like Toyota, Tata, Kia, Lexus, MG and Hyundai displayed new EVs.
The sale of electric vehicles in the year 2022 and the first three months of 2023 clearly indicate that the electric vehicles will be dominating the automobile market in near future.
