Registration of electric vehicles (EV) surpassed the registration of diesel vehicles in the district in the first five months of 2023. The number of EVs registered is 30% more than that of diesel vehicles.
As many as 6,501 EVs were registered as against 4,521 diesel vehicles in the first five months in Ernakulam, with the city limits witnessing more number of registrations. However, the margin of difference between registration of EVs and diesel vehicles is higher in rural areas, with North Paravur topping the list in Rural Ernakulam.
North Paravur recorded registration of 886 EVs in five months against 369 diesel vehicles. It is followed by Perumbavoor and Mattancherry. The least difference is in Kothamangalam area which saw the registration of only 199 EVs against 186 diesel vehicles.
It has been found that more people started to prefer EVs over diesel vehicles from the last quarter of 2022. Ernakulam RTO saw monthly registration of more than 200 EVS from October last year, except January 2023.
Experts have cautioned against people compromising on quality while opting for low-cost vehicles. “One should give priority to the quality of battery and motor while purchasing an EV. Preference should be given to EVs offered by branded companies, even though price is high. In Kerala market, EVs, especially two-wheelers, are available at cheaper rates but most would be of poor quality. Glitches arise one or two years after buying the vehicle. When the customer approaches the dealer with complaints, the response is mostly negative. Dealers shut down shops after receiving a few complaints. This is the situation in many places in the state,” said Manoharan J, head of the e-mobility cell of Anert.
“Besides, extra caution should be taken while charging an EV in order to prevent fire incidents. People should not charge the EV by plugging into the socket meant for domestic purposes. EVs should be charged as directed by the dealers and by using the charger provided by them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the central government has recently reduced the subsidy given to two-wheeler EVs under Faster Adoption Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles 2 in the country from June 1 this year. But this has not deterred people from changing to electric vehicles. The subsidy has been reduced from INR 15,000 to INR 10,000 per kW.
MVD officials said two-wheelers constitute most of the EVs being registered in the district. They said registration of EV cars are also picking up now.
