In the last three years, the registration of electric vehicles, especially the two wheelers and four wheelers has seen a sharp jump. The two wheelers saw around 6 times registration in 2021 in comparison to 2019 under the deputy RTO Vashi.
At a time when the price of petrol and diesel is rising every day, shifting towards electric vehicles seems to be a wise decision. With government subsidies on electric vehicles, there is a rising trend among buyers to choose an electric vehicle.
During 2021, a total of 266 two wheelers were registered which was just 46 in 2019. Similarly, the number of electric cars people bought in 2021 was 166 which was 26 in 2019. It means that in 2021, more than 6 times two-wheeler electric vehicles were registered than 2019.
According to officials from Vashi Dy RTO, they are getting more applications for two wheelers and cars’ registration among all kinds of electric vehicles.
In July 2022, Maharashtra Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2021 was announced with a number of benefits to accelerate EV sales and stimulate manufacturing. In addition, the recent rise in fuel prices has also prompted potential vehicle buyers to think about electric vehicles.
However, the number of EVs are very low in comparison to conventional fuel like diesel and petrol vehicles. One of the main reasons is the lack of charging stations in the city.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) is setting up charging stations across the city. Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has also planned to set up more than 20 charging stations across the city to promote pollution-free vehicles in the city. A charging station with two points has already been set up in Nerul in association with the Power Grid and it will soon start functioning. Currently, there are charging stations at Turbhe in Navi Mumbai.
Among electric vehicles, there are a few categories that do not require registration with the RTO. “Two-wheelers electric vehicles with a maximum speed of 25 km per hour do not require RTO registration as they fall under the category of bicycle,” said an official from the RTO.
