At last count, more than than 80 lakh vehicles were registered in Bengaluru and the number is only increasing, but only a tiny fraction — 9,316 — run on electricity. The data reflects figures as of March 31.
Every day, more than 1,750 new cars, vans and other vehicles hit the city’s roads, but on an average only two are electric vehicles.
In the just ended 2018-19 financial year, records from the Transport Department show that only 950-odd new e-vehicles were registered in the city. The numbers are dismal despite the push by the government for more environmentally-friendly modes of transport.
Transport Department officials say registration of e-vehicles are negligible in the city despite various incentives, such as tax exemptions. Transport Commissioner V.P. Ikkeri said, “It is a fact that registration of electric vehicles is not very promising. The State government has come out with various initiatives to promote their usage, including setting up charging points.”
The State has 15,421 e-vehicles, out of which 1,077 were registered in FY 2018-19.
Most registrations in Indiranagar
Last financial year, the highest number of e-vehicles were registered at Indiranagar RTO (566). This was followed by Electronics City RTO where 133 vehicles were registered and then Jayanagara RTO with 85. Rajajinagar saw only four e-vehicles registered in the entire year. RTOs at Yelahanka (9) and Jnanabharathi (8) were also at the bottom of the pack.
According to experts, incentives alone will not be enough to convince people to buy electric cars or two-wheelers.
An RTO official said, “There are various reasons for poor registration of e-vehicles despite various incentives like relaxation from paying taxes. Limited availability of brands in the market, lack of charging points and maintenance are also factors that need to be taken into account.”
The government had recently decided to build the required infrastructure to promote e-vehicles in the city. In February, the Transport Department had provided ₹4 crore to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) to set up a hundred charging points.
In an effort to walk the talk, bureaucrats also started using e-vehicles. The Additional Chief Secretary of Energy Department P. Ravikumar, for instance, commutes to work in one such car. “Through Bescom, we have rented an e-car for official purposes. I am comfortable using it,” he said.
One common grouse among commuters is that these cars can’t be driven as fast as their petrol and diesel fuelled counterparts.
Mr. Ravikumar, however, said the argument is redundant given Bengaluru’s traffic. “The e-car I use can be operated up to 100 km on a single charge. The car is spacious as well. There are several officers who are now commuting to work in electric cars,” he said.
5,000 e-autos
To encourage e-mobility, the Transport Department is planning to introduce 5,000 e-autos in a phased manner. Transport Commissioner V.P. Ikkeri said that to encourage people, they will be allowed to run in the city without permits.
On the other hand, however, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is still struggling to introduce e-buses. Its plan to introduce a 80-strong fleet through a private operator was shelved recently after officials ‘realised’ that the terms went against the financial interest of the Corporation.
The BMTC ended up losing the Union government’s subsidy for running e-buses in Bengaluru. Officials, however, are hoping to get the subsidy in future while directly procuring e-vehicles.