As people adapt to this new mobility model, electric vehicles are gaining popularity in Rajasthan. In fact, the number of these vehicles has increased six times in the last three years.
When you consider the ease and comfort of city living, two-wheelers are the most popular. Four-wheelers are the least popular. This is because consumers still have concerns about charging infrastructure, especially on the highways and on the outskirts.
Rajasthan’s Transport Department data shows that the number of electric vehicles sold in Rajasthan has increased sixfold since the beginning of September 2019.
“There is a continuous increase in the sale of electric vehicles in the state, as more and more people are shifting towards better and advanced technology. The rising trend is also due to the policy of the state government, which is providing grants for the purchase of e-vehicles,” said Transport Department Commissioner K L Swami.
In 2019, the state purchased 6,627 electric vehicles in all three segments: 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers. The pandemic caused a slight dip in electric vehicle sales in 2020 (5,599 vehicles sold), but the number of sales rose to 23,451 by 2021.
According to data, over 42,900 electric vehicles were sold in the state till the first week of September. This includes approximately 28,000 scooters, 13,400 three-wheelers and 1,500 light motors.
Around 3,200 EVs were sold in Rajasthan between August 25 and September 7, inclusive of the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival.
Consumers choose EVs because they are easier to handle and have lower running costs. People are shifting to new technologies and the business of electric vehicles is growing.
Nishchal Chaudhary, founder and director of Batt: RE stated that sales are a sign that people are shifting to electric vehicles quickly and that EVs will be a dominant force on the roads.
“With the growing adoption of EVs in India, we can sense a strong change in these numbers in the upcoming years. Rajasthan contributes 6% of our total sales whereas Jaipur contributes 24% of total sales in Rajasthan,” he said.
Since July 2021, the state’s trend toward purchasing electric vehicles has been on the rise. Sales of electric vehicles have been steadily increasing month over month in the state.
A total of 2,202 EVs were purchased in July 2021. This number jumped to 3,866 vehicles in December. The state sold 6,698 EVs in July 2022, almost doubling the amount of the previous month.
Mahesh Sharma, who recently bought an electric scooter, stated that the reason he chose the EV was because of the lower running costs compared to petrol cars.
“The running costs are too low compared to petrol. Sharma stated that although the electric scooter’s rate is more than a regular petrol scooter, the long-term cost is still lower than the petrol vehicle’s.
The state government provides subsidies for the purchase of electric cars.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made the announcement in the budget 2019-20. He approved the draft policy on 24th May 2022. The government also approved the one-time contribution to the purchase of EVs and an additional budget provision for Rs 40 crore to reimburse State Goods and Services Tax.
The state government announced that it would reimburse Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000 SGST amount for two-wheelers and Rs 10,000-20,000 for three-wheelers. In its 2022 revised policy, the government announced that grants of Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 would be made to four-wheelers depending on the vehicle’s battery capacity.