In Chandigarh, EVs don’t pique consumers’ attention; 8.8% of registrations in five months

Just 8.8% of EVs have been registered in the city in the last five months due to inadequate infrastructure, which has led to a poor uptake of EVs in the area.

Just 1,408 electric cars, including two-wheelers, have been sold in the last five months in the city, as opposed to 15,844 non-electric vehicles, since the UT Administration removed the restriction on the registration of non-electric vehicles.

In order to encourage a transition to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, the UT Administration launched a five-year EV policy in September 2022 with the intention of progressively stopping the registration of fuel-powered cars. The initiative also plans to make Chandigarh a “Model EV City” by 2027 by having a high percentage of zero-emission cars on the road.

However, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit lifted the ban on non-electric vehicle registrations, including two-wheelers, four-wheelers, and commercial vehicles, on November 23 of last year in response to demand from a number of stakeholders.

In only 23 days in November 2023, almost 350 electric cars were registered. However, from November 24 to March 31 of this year, only 839 electric two-wheelers and 569 electric four-wheelers were registered, compared to 7,886 and 7,959 non-electric ones.

53 charging stations in the city still hadn’t been turned on, despite the UT Administrator’s orders. Purohit had ordered on March 8 that all 53 charging stations be operational by the end of the month; however, because some units’ equipment had been stolen, it was probably going to take an extra month to do the job.

Officials from the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) said that 53 charging station installations were assigned to three different businesses. While one business has not yet begun the job, two have finished installing close to forty charging stations. Furthermore, it will probably take the businesses close to a month to replace the equipment that was taken from the charging stations.

In recent months, thieves have taken expensive equipment from unattended EV charging stations all around the city. “Purchasing an electric car is an expensive endeavor, since these cars are far more expensive than those with internal combustion engines. Furthermore, the city’s infrastructure is still not ready, according to a Sector 48 inhabitant. On September 20, 2022, the UT Administration announced the EV Policy. But the infrastructure of the city is still not prepared for the electric

automobiles. In November 2022, nine different spots across the city saw the installation of up to 23 charging stations.

There are 92 charging guns in total at these stations, and the same number of cars may be charged at once. However, work is currently underway to install 44 more charging stations under the “Chandigarh developer mode” at various locations. These stations have already been installed at a number of locations, including the Sector 17 multilevel parking, the Elante mall parking lot, the Mani Majra car bazaar parking area, the Madhya Marg in Sector 26, and the Sector 44-D market parking lot.

According to records, 1,109 electric two-wheelers and 15,588 fuel-based ones were registered between April and October of 2023. Remarkably, the number of electric two-wheeler registrations reached a high in May, totaling 297, and this coincided with two brief stops in the registration of non-electric two-wheelers in October.

From April to October, just 592 electric four-wheelers were registered; in contrast, 18,485 non-electric four-wheelers, including powerful hybrids, were registered. Registrations of electric cars were exceeded by even powerful hybrid vehicles, highlighting the continuing drop in EV acceptance after the lifting of the restriction.

Removed capping

Under pressure from several stakeholders, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit lifted the ceiling on registrations for non-electric vehicles, including commercial vehicles, two-wheelers, and four-wheelers, on November 23 of last year.

Plans to turn charging stations on were hampered by thefts.

53 charging stations in the city still hadn’t been turned on, despite the UT Administrator’s orders. Purohit had ordered on March 8 that all 53 charging stations be operational by the end of the month; however, because some units’ equipment had been stolen, it was probably going to take an extra month to do the job.