According to data published by the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association, electric car sales increased nearly tenfold from 149 units in October 2020 to 1,621 units in October this year (FADA). Cars, two-wheeler, and three-wheeler are among these vehicles. With rising fuel prices and state and federal governments providing significant subsidies for electric vehicles, a growing number of customers in Gujarat are opting for green transportation.
According to FADA’s data, 2,471 electric vehicles were sold across Gujarat during the recently concluded Navratri-Diwali festive season, up 846 percent over the 247 sold last year.
The prices of CNG, petrol, and diesel are among the key reasons for the shift towards EVS, according to automobile dealers. “Even CNG prices have increased over the past six months or so,” said Pranav Shah, the chairman of FADA’s Gujarat region.
“This raises the expense of vehicle ownership and maintenance. As a result, the shift to electric vehicles has been visible across segments in the last four to six months.” “Moreover, the government as well as city authorities have offered major subsidies on electric vehicles in the last two to three months,” Shah noted. Tata Motors has sold at least 1,000 EVS every month for the past three months.
One of the two electric car types announced by the automobile giant is produced at the company’s passenger vehicle manufacturing unit in Sanand. “With increased demand for EVS, we have seen the Penetration of cars grow at a very good rate,” said Vivek Srivatsa, head of marketing, passenger & electric vehicles business unit, Tata Motors. “The recent jump in fuel prices could be one of the causes for the spike in EV sales,” Srivatsa remarked. “However, customers are gradually shifting towards EVs since they appreciate the seamless driving experience and also reap the benefits of cheap long-term ownership costs,” Srivatsa continued.
The Gujarat Electric Vehicle Policy, 2021, provides for a subsidy of up to Rs 20,000 for two-wheelers, Rs 50,000 for three-wheelers, and Rs 1.5 lakh for vehicles. Furthermore, the central government has increased incentives under FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles). The amount of the subsidy is determined by the capacity of the battery.
“Subsidies are one of the most important components in making electric vehicles more cheap,” said Dishank Chhabaria, Gujarat branch head for Ather Energy. “For our two-wheelers, clients may get a clear subsidy of Rs 63,500, which is undoubtedly a terrific bargain.”