Telangana sees surge in EVs; over 4,000 vehicles registered in last 43 days

Purchase increases after State government introduces 'Telangana Electric Vehicle & Energy Storage Policy 2020-2030', but officials point to insufficient number of charging stations

Hyderabad: Telangana is witnessing a surge in the sale of electric vehicles, with 4,251 EVs registered in the last 43 days.

According to the officials of the Transport Department, the purchase of EVs was gradually increasing in the State after the State government introduced the ‘Telangana Electric Vehicle & Energy Storage Policy 2020-2030’, which includes significant benefits for EV owners, including a 100 per cent exemption from road tax and registration fees on EVs for two years, until December 31, 2026.

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According to the data available with the department, 78,862 new EVs were registered in the State during the year, whereas it was 52,134 EVs the previous year. There was a huge increase in the registration of all types of EVs, along with motorcycles and autos, during the year.

In the last one month 3,704 two-wheelers and 138 three-wheelers were registered, whereas it was 1,800 and 30, respectively, in the corresponding period of the previous year.

In fact, the sale of EV cars, which came down drastically in the State after the government withdrew all incentives last July, has started picking up in the last one month. In the last one month, the State recorded registrations of 1,008 electric cars, compared to 345 registrations in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Currently, Telangana has 1.7 lakh EVs, including 1.3 lakh two-wheelers and 12,765 cars. The transport officials said if the similar trend continues, the State is expected to add over 60,000 new EVs by the end of the current financial year.

EV dealers, too, felt that the Telangana government’s decision to exempt EVs from road tax and registration was a step in the right direction and would help the State increase the sale of EVs.

However, the officials observed that the insufficient number of charging stations in the State was causing problems for EV users. Currently, there are around 700 EV charging stations in the State, but these are not sufficient to meet the demand.

There was a pressing need to establish additional charging stations across Hyderabad, particularly along the ORR and highways, to meet the increasing demand to encourage potential EV buyers, the dealers said.