EV sales in India to touch 10 lakh units this year

New Delhi: Sales of total electric vehicles in India are expected to be around 10 lakh units this year, equal to what was sold collectively in the last 15 years, mainly riding on the good traction witnessed by electric two-wheelers, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) said on Thursday.

In 2021, the sales of electric two-wheelers (E2Ws) in the country jumped over two-fold at 2,33,971 units driven by a good traction of high-speed scooters as compared to 1,00,736 units in 2020, SMEV said in a statement. "We haven't seen better days than the last few months in the entire EV journey. In the last 15 years, we collectively sold around 1 million e2w, e-three wheelers, e-cars, and e-buses, and we will most likely sell the same 1 million units in just one year beginning January 2022," SMEV Director General Sohinder Gill said.

The recent positive changes in EV policy through FAME II are a game-changer and a decisive move by the government to "ensure a cleaner and greener transportation sector, reducing reliance on expensive and dirty liquid fuel", he added. Stating that customers have now started shifting in large numbers from petrol two-wheelers to electric ones due to attractive prices, lower running costs, and lower maintenance, Gill said, "a significant percentage of customers also factor in the environment and sustainability in their decision to buy an electric two-wheeler." Going by the recent monthly trends, the next 12 months may see five to six times the growth over the previous 12 months, he added.