The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) has come out with the industry sales report for the Financial Year (FY) 2019-20 in India and as per the numbers, India has seen a growth of 20 per cent in the sale of electric vehicles.
The Electric Vehicle (EV) industry sold 1.56 lakh electric vehicles in FY19-20. Out of this, 1.52 lakh were two-wheelers, 3,400 cars and 600 buses. The corresponding sale for the FY18-19 was 1.26 lakh two-wheelers, 3600 cars and around 400 buses making a total of 1.30 lakh units. This growth continues to come largely from two-wheelers. However, this figure does not include E-Rickshaws which is still largely with the unorganized sector with a reported sale of around 90,000 units. The corresponding figures of the E-rickshaws sold in the previous year have not been documented.
Amongst the electric two-wheelers sold in FY 19-20, 97 per cent of it consisted of electric scooters and a very small volume of motorcycles and electric cycles filled the rest of 3 per cent. Low-speed scooters that have a maximum speed of 25 km/h and do not need registration with the transport authorities constituted a whopping 90 per cent of all the electric two-wheelers sold.
In the electric four-wheeler segment, 3400 units were sold compared to 3600 units in the previous fiscal year. The decrease in numbers is attributed mainly due to lack of bulk purchase of electric cars in FY19-20 and discontinuation of one of the leading car models. The acceptability of electric cars in the premium segment in the second half of the year was a positive signal of a quantum jump of a much higher volume of electric cars in FY20-21. The electric taxi segment is also beginning to get some traction, though the range of electric cars and lack of charging spots in enough density is a deterrent in the growth of this segment. Electric buses went through several big commitments that kept developing over time by the state governments, which did not translate into purchases.
Commenting on the sales, Sohinder Gill, Director General, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles said, “The EV industry is taking shape and we believe that despite the COVID-19, the FY20-21 will be a defining year for all the EV segments. While the EV industry is surely going to face the brunt of COVID-19 like any other automotive business, the clearer skies and the cleaner air in even the worst polluting cities is certainly leaving a permanent impression in the minds of the customers about how they can breathe easy and remain healthy if the society moves towards E-mobility. I feel, given the right impetus by the government and the industry, the EV industry can spring back faster than the ailing Internal Combustion (IC) vehicles segment. A pertinent factor that may work in favour of electric two-wheelers post-COVID-19 would be the choice of switching over from crowded mass transport to the sensibly priced electric two-wheelers with almost the same cost of commuting, as of public transport.”
“Few experiments like electric two-wheelers being sold without the batteries and customer paying for the batteries as a fuel, E-commerce companies realising the economic benefits of EVs and converting their fleets, E-carts becoming a convenient and cost-effective means of short distance logistics, E-taxis fleets beginning to make money due to lower operating costs may bring around the inflexion point in the EV industry in FY21-22”, added Gill.
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