Power Consumption By EVs Up 216% In Maharashtra

In a sign of things to come across more and more states in India, the sale of power for electric vehicles in the state has increased by 216% in ten months — from 4.56 million units in September 2022 to 14.44 million units in July 2023, Chairman and Managing Director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) Lokesh Chandra said.

MSEDCL, or Mahavitaran is the nodal agency in the state for establishing EV charging network or stations, and as such, is able to track consumption across the 3214 public and private EV charging stations in the state.

The number of EVs in the state too has increased rapidly, going from 4,643 EVs sold in the state in 2018, to 1,89,698 in 2022. As on March 31, 2023, the total number of EVs in the state was 2,98,838, of which nearly 2.5 lakh are two-wheelers.

The number of electric buses has also increased rapidly. Only four electric buses were registered in the state in 2018, but in 2022, this number increased to 336. At the end of March 2023, there were a total of 1,399 electric buses in the state. Overall, India is expected to add over 5,000 electric buses in the year ending March 2024, and over 8,000 next year.

Other major states where EVs are making rapid gains, and will see consequent rise in power consumption by EVs, are Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka etc. While still early days with an overall market share of less than 3%, the long term rise of EVs will demand a deeper alignment with grid capacity and capability, which will probably lead to Time of Day(ToD) billings and more to ensure grid stability is not affected. A strong push for smart meters nationally already signals the beginning of the effort, with first policy action expected from April 2024 onwards.