More e-bike sales in 1st three months this yr than all of ’21
NEW DELHI: The sale of electric motorcycles and scooters in the city in the first three months of this year has surpassed the total number of such vehicles sold in 2021, shows data released by the Delhi government, pointing to greater adoption of electric vehicles (EV), mostly driven by the two-wheeler segment, in the Capital.
Between January and March this year, 7,632 electric bikes were sold in Delhi -- 1,758 in January, 2,384 in February and 3,490 in March -- as compared to 7,558 in the whole of 2021.
Overall, 13,941 EVs were sold in Delhi between January and March this year -- 3,405 in January, 4,547 in February and 5,989 in March -driven mostly by a rise in the sale of EV two-wheelers.
Experts feel the rise in sale of two-wheeler EVs indicate to its growing popularity among the lower middle-class and greater adoption by e-commerce and delivery firms.
Delhi government launched its ambitious EV policy in August 2020 with an eye on tackling air pollution. Under the policy, the government aims to make EVs account for at least 25% of all vehicles sold in the Capital.
According to a transport department official, the ease of charging at home and availability of multiple charging points in public places, along with the lower running cost of EVs as compared to petrol/diesel/CNG vehicles, are pushing sales of EVs in Delhi. “The environment friendly aspect of EVs too add to their popularity,” said the official.
A monthly vehicles sales report prepared by Delhi government, seen by HT, shows the percentage of electric vehicles in the total sale of vehicles across all fuel types reported a sustained growth in 2021. In January last year, 2.9% of 49,010 vehicles sold in the city were EVs, which increased to 3.6% of 44,597 vehicles sold in February, and subsequently peaked at 10.6% of 35,869 vehicles sold in December last year. In March 2022, the percentage increased to 12.6%.
Delhi currently has over 825 EV charging points across the Capital and over 165 battery swapping stations where EV owners can exchange exhausted batteries for fully charged ones.
Rajesh Sharma, a banking professional who switched from petrol to an electric bike last year, said the shift has been very rewarding. “My bike is fully charged in threefour hours and while it results in consumption of an extra 100 units to my power consumption, it increases my electricity bill by under ₹1,000 per month,” he said.
Ankit Tyagi, who works in a pharmaceutical company in Okhla and travels to office from Ghaziabad six days in a week, said he shifted to EV last month, primarily because of rising petrol prices. “I used to spend nearly ₹200 each day on petrol. The EV was nearly double the price of the petrol vehicle, but at least I do not need to spend so much every day,” said Tyagi.
Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council on Clean Transportation, said, “In Delhi, electric mobility has seen an exponential rise, given that EV registration was around 1% in 2019-20. Three reasons why Delhi is becoming the EV capital of the country are: innovation – the Delhi EV policy focuses on demand generation; collaboration – Delhi government works with civil society and private sector to push EVs; implementation – the focus on two-wheelers, three-wheelers and buses has been vital for success.”
Bhatt also said that EVs are cost positive (projected revenue is higher than projected cost) in the two- and three-wheeler space even before the price rise. “The current price rise has only aided their uptake,” said Bhatt, adding that the Delhi government should now focus on the electrification of heavy duty vehicles.
The AAP government aggressively promotes transition to EVs and installation of EV infrastructure in a bid to curb air pollution.
In August 2020, when the EV policy was launched, the share of EVs in the total number of vehicles sold in the Capital was 1.2%. In less than two years, it has gone up to 12.6% in March 2022.