20% of all E4W Used by Govt Entities, Karnataka Leads list: Gadkari

One in every five electric four-wheelers registered in the country is being used by govt entities, according to road transport ministry data submitted in Parliament.

On Friday, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari informed Lok Sabha that govt entities are using 5,384 electric vehicles as of February 4.

Earlier, he had informed Rajya Sabha that a total of 26,335 electric four-wheelers were registered across the country with Karnataka leading the list with 7,212 such vehicles, followed by Ladakh (5,484). Delhi, which has a high concentration of government offices, has registered barely 3,051 4-wheeler EVs.

Meanwhile, vehicle registration data also shows that the number of eco-friendly vehicles – electric, CNG, petrol and diesel hybrid, ethanol and methanol – registered in 2021 trebled to 4.8 lakh, compared to 2018. The surge was led by electric battery-operated vehicles or EVs. So far, nearly 9.7 lakh EVs have been registered across India with UP leading the list among states with a little under 2.8 lakh such vehicles, followed by Delhi with 1.3 lakh.

Notably, in anticipation of a fast approaching boom in the sector, the country’s first virtual e-mobility marketplace – EV MARKETZ – was recently announced.

While the government has been nudging people to go for electric vehicles instead of those powered by petrol and diesel, it is the electric three-wheelers, largely electric rickshaws, that have a 67% share. Two-wheelers account for 29% of the registered EVs.

The number of ethanol-fuelled vehicles has so far seen registration of 116 vehicles, while there are 2,326 registered vehicles running on methanol across the country.

“This trend will continue as people find EVs a better option due to huge savings in fuel. The number of vehicles running on ethanol and methanol will also see a quantum jump in the next few years as the government is putting more focus on alternative fuels,” said an official.

Different states such as Delhi and Jharkhand have come up with attractive incentives to promote EVs while others are also following such models. While the operation and maintenance cost are lower, the capital cost is higher.