Why no takers for e-rickshaws amid rise of e-vehicles?

While there are only about 100 registered e-rickshaws with the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO), the subsidy is unlikely to lift the number when other e-vehicle numbers are increasing

Pune

Previously, PMC offered a ₹12,000 subsidy to promote environmentally friendly transportation and referred to it as the ‘ideal mode of transport’ for the city. (HT PHOTO)

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) announced ₹25,000 subsidy for e-rickshaws on Tuesday in order to promote environmentally friendly transportation for city residents. While there are only about 100 registered e-rickshaws with the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO), the subsidy is unlikely to lift the number when other e-vehicle numbers are increasing.

Previously, PMC offered a ₹12,000 subsidy to promote environmentally friendly transportation and referred to it as the ‘ideal mode of transport’ for the city.

“There are hardly 100 electric auto rickshaws registered with Pune RTO in the last five years, as there are few routes mostly outside the main city area where e-rickshaws are plying. So compared to the other electric vehicles, the registration of e-rickshaws are very less under the Pune RTO,” said Sanjeev Bhor, deputy regional transport officer at Pune RTO.

According to PMC information, a budget allocation of ₹2 crore has been made for these e-rickshaw subsidies to be given to individuals who will purchase the e-rickshaws. They must first register with PMC and provide details about their purchase, after which the subsidy amount will be transferred to the beneficiary’s account.

Pune Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “It is the state government’s policy to promote e-vehicles in the state. PMC has already started purchasing e-vehicles in the PMPML fleet. But at the same time, we are promoting citizens to use e-vehicles. Considering this, PMC decided to give ₹25,000 help for converting existing autos into e-rickshaws.”

According to current estimates, the cost of converting existing automobiles into e-rickshaws will range between ₹70,000 and ₹75,000. Kumar stated that the PMC will distribute Rs25000 among them.

According to auto-rickshaw drivers and RTO officials, the price of these e-rickshaws is high, making them unaffordable to the general public. At the same time, it takes approximately eight to ten hours for the batter to fully charge with a charging setup.

“When I went to a couple of showrooms last year to inquire about these autos, the cost of these e-rickshaws was more than ₹1.5 lakh. Instead, I chose to purchase a CNG auto rickshaw and launch my own business,” said auto rickshaw driver Prakash Kamble.

Those who purchased these vehicles blamed the lack of response on regular autorickshaw drivers and unions.

On the other hand, although the Pune RTO, in collaboration with the city traffic police, finalised 14 routes for e-rickshaws in 2018-17, there are very few takers. Because all of these routes were outside of the main city areas, the e-rickshaws in the Pune district area were in high demand.

The PMC intends to install charging stations for these e-rickshaws at various locations throughout the city, including bus stops, railway stations, and commercial areas. The initiative is part of a larger effort by the PMC to promote sustainable transportation in the city.

While 5,499 e-bikes were registered in Pune in 2021, the figure increased to 22,565 in 2022. E-bikes outnumber four-wheelers in registrations. In addition, 477 e-cars were registered in 2021, rising to 1,164 in 2022, indicating that the number of e-car registrations has increased.