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Chandigarh sees 14% rise in e-scooter sales in February
On February 8, the Chandigarh administration had notified that it will not register non-electric two-wheelers between February 10 and March 31, 2023, as their registration number had peaked for the category as decided in the EV policy
Ever since UT administration’s decision not to register non-electric two-wheelers between February 10 and March 31, 2023, the sales of electric two-wheelers have been picking up in the city.
Compared to the sale of 170 e-scooters in January, translating into 42 vehicles per week, their number has already reached 144, an average of 48 per week — a 14% jump — with one week remaining.
On February 8, UT had notified that it will not register non-electric two-wheelers between February 10 and March 31, 2023, as their registration number had peaked for the category as decided in the EV policy.
The policy, notified in September 2022, is applicable for five years, during which the administration plans to gradually stop registering fuel-run vehicles to dissuade people from buying vehicles that cause pollution.
Incentives available for first 10,000 registrations
In the first year of policy, incentives are being offered for up to 42,000 vehicles of different categories, including 25,000 e-cycles, 10,000 e-scooters/e-bikes and 3,000 cars.
There are eight auto agencies in the city that deal in electric two-wheelers. For now, they are offering only e-scooters, with prices starting from ₹1.6 lakh. With the subsidy of ₹30,000, the cost comes down to around ₹1.3 lakh.
“The sale of electric two-wheelers has picked up since the February 8 notification. We have already reached the 70% target for subsidies for e-scooters,” said Debendra Dalai, chief executive officer, Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), that provides the subsidies.
RLA Pradhuman Singh said, “Since the targeted number of non-electric two-wheeler registrations has already been achieved in the current financial year, registration of such vehicles is required to be immediately stopped in order to implement the provisions of the EV Policy in the interest of greener Chandigarh.”
Notably, a total of 1,107 e-scooters have been registered in the city since 2018, with 70% registrations (795) taking place in 2022 alone.
Auto dealers submit memo to UT
Meanwhile, members of the federation of Chandigarh Region Automobile Dealers Federation submitted a memorandum to UT adviser Dharam Pal, voicing their opposition against UT’s decision.
“We are not against the EV policy, but the capping on number of fuel-run vehicles will wipe out our business, affecting nearly 6,000 families in Chandigarh,” said Ranjiv Dahuja, president of the federation.
He added that, “Moreover, the cost of e-scooters is too high and cannot be afforded by all sections of society. No e-scooter is available below ₹1 lakh, while a host of conventional, fuel-run two-wheeler options are available in the price range. Besides, currently EV dealers are only selling scooters, what about buyers who need motorcycles?”
