India sees a rise in EV adoption since 2020: Govt data

The rise in the number of EVs came against the backdrop of a sharp rise in prices of petroleum products and a reduction of GST on EVs from 12 to 5 per cent.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: July 20, 2022 10:25 PM IST

2 min read

A man waits as his electric scooter gets charged at an electric charge station in New Delhi (Representational Reuters file photo)

The number of electronic vehicles (EVs) plying on road has seen a considerable rise since 2020.

A total of 1.19 lakh EVs were sold in 2020, which increased to 3.11 lakh in 2021 and 4.19 lakh in 2022, as per the data shared by the Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar with Parliament.

The minister, however, pointed out that as against 6.3 crore non-electric vehicles, only 10 lakh EVs were sold in the country in the last four years.

The rise in the number of EVs came against the backdrop of a sharp rise in prices of petroleum products and a reduction of GST on EVs from 12 to 5 per cent.

Also read | Explained: How the billion-dollar automobile industry is changing, courtesy Covid-19

Other initiatives taken by the government to bring down the prices of EVs includes approval of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing of Advance Chemistry Cell (ACC) as the cost of Lithium-based battery is high and asking States to waive road tax for the EVs.

The chart shows percentage of registered electric to non-electric vehicles since 2019 (Source: PIB)

The lithium-ion battery is the costliest component in the EV.

Last year, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country aims to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy to less than 45 per cent by 2030 and net zero emission by 2070.

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