Chandigarh: Only 3% buyers of cars, 7% of two-wheelers opt for EVs

Dushyant Singh Pundir

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Chandigarh, November 22

The carrot-and-stick approach adopted by the UT Administration to push the sale of electric vehicles has failed to yield the desired results.

In the current financial year till November 19, only 7.14 per cent of the total two-wheelers registered in the city were electric. The lacklustre sale had even forced the Administration to reduce the EV target for the fiscal year from 25 per cent to 15 per cent.

Since April 1, only 1,109 electric two-wheelers have been registered against 15,588 fuel-based till November 19. The maximum 297 electric two-wheelers were registered in May against 2,140 petrol-based, followed by 158 in October, when registration of non-electric two-wheelers was stopped twice — first on October 6 after achieving the target as revised in July and then on October 29 after reaching the limit as re-revised on October 18 — against the registration of 1,876 non-electric two-wheelers.

Similarly, only 3.2 per cent electric four-wheelers were registered against the total such non-electric vehicles during the said period. A total of 592 electric four-wheelers were registered against 18,485 non-electric — 13,538 petrol, 4,333 diesel and 614 strong hybrid ones.

Even the sale of strong hybrid vehicles surpassed those of EVs. To study the preference of residents regarding vehicle purchase before considering amendments to the EV policy, Nitin Yadav, UT Adviser-cum-Home Secretary, has instructed the authorities concerned to compile city’s vehicle registration data.

After examining the data, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit will take a final decision on the issue on Thursday. Earlier, the EV policy was revised on July 4, October 18 and November 8, when the quota fixed for the registration of non-electric two-wheelers was exhausted.

Criticising the restrictions imposed on the registration of non-electric two-wheelers, MP Kirron Kher and Mayor Anup Gupta have already sought the removal of cap on fuel-based vehicles.