195 e-vehicles registered in Kolkata last year, but sales figure may be 35,000+ – Times of India

KOLKATA: Only 195 electric vehicles were registered in Kolkata in 2021. It was a four-fold jump over the previous year, but the numbers could be misleading.
The actual sale of EVs is being pegged at over 35,000 by transport officials, as many low-speed e-scooters and e-bikes do not require registration. And, with nearly all auto companies set to introduce more EVs in 2022, dealers expect a substantial jump in sales this year.
According to Public Vehicles Department (PVD) records, the number of new EVs registered in the city was just 47 in 2020 and 21 the year before. But the figures do not reflect the actual scale of shift to EVs, with dealers of branded and non-branded low-speed e-scooters and e-bikes clocking record sales in 2021.
“Vehicles powered by a 250-watt motor and capable of accelerating only up to 25kmph do not require to be registered. Hence, it is difficult to fix a number to it. But the estimate would be upward of 35,000,” said a transport department official.
While availability of e-vehicles is a factor, what has prompted the migration is the record jump in fuel price.
Experts predict sharper e-vehicle growth
With cost of operation as low as Rs 1-Rs 1. 2 per kilometre, investment in even an expensive EV is pragmatic and viable.
Both the transport and environment departments pin their hope on electric vehicles as the game-changer for the city’s environment and its climate resilience.
“Zero-emission vehicles and solar-powered charging facilities will reduce the city’s huge burden of particulate pollution,” said WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra.
Of the 197 electric vehicles registered with PVD in 2021, 137 are fourwheelers. There are only 53 high-pow- ered two-wheelers with more than 250-watt motors capable of speeds in excess of 25kmph.
Experts predict an even sharper rise in growth of EVs in the city this year following introduction of newer models, high price of petrol and diesel, and the demand for personal vehicles due to the fear of catching infection in public transport staying high.
“As electric vehicles become more affordable and the battery range increases, the demand will zoom,” said P K Bose, an automobile expert and former director of NIT, pointing out that many are beginning to overcome the initial reluctance in embracing EVs. “A new technology always requires its ecosystem to blossom — public charging infrastructure, charging facilities at parking lots, battery-swapping facilities. Once these are in place, the market share of EVs in the overall sales pie will increase rapidly,” he added.
Transport department officials said the state’s EV policy would also give a fillip to sales in 2022. The policy proposes incentives like public charging stations at every 25km across the state’s national and state highways, special green corridors for EVs and dedicated inter-district corridors for green mobility.