Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Having removed the cap on non-electric vehicles in November last year, a major feature of its ambitious Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, the UT administration has decided to re-examine the policy to find other ways to encourage adoption of EVs.
UT had rolled out the five-year policy in September 2022, with plans to gradually stop registering fuel-run vehicles to dissuade people from buying vehicles that cause pollution. This was part of its larger plan to make Chandigarh a “Model EV City” by achieving one of the highest penetrations of zero-emission vehicles by 2027.
But amid sharp criticism from automobile dealers and buyers, UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit had removed the cap on non-electric vehicles on November 23, 2023.
Ever since, EV registrations have slowed down.
As per data from the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), 1,219 electric two-wheelers were sold between April and November 2023, an average of 152 per month.
After the cap was removed in November, the monthly average came down to 149, with 596 electric two-wheelers getting registered.
In the case of four-wheelers, however, the period between April and November 2023 saw 637 registrations, an average of 80 per month that rose to 114 per month during December and March, as 458 electric four-wheelers were registered.
But overall, the EV registrations remained far lower than that of non-EVs, which numbered at 21,570 in the case of two-wheelers and 23,499 in the case of four-wheelers through FY 2023-24.
TC Nautiyal, president of Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), the nodal agency for implementation of EV Policy in Chandigarh, said a meeting was scheduled with the UT adviser on April 5 to promote EV adoption in the city. “We are creating awareness among people and also strengthening the public charging infrastructure. Also, we have demanded to increase the incentive for e-cars (personal) from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹2 lakh,” he said.
On the other hand, Ram Kumar Garg, finance secretary of the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association, Chandigarh, questioned, “Why will people buy EVs, when there is no infrastructure? We are not against the EV policy, but it should be encouraged with higher incentives and by providing infrastructure.”
Currently, an incentive ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹2 lakh is being offered for up to 42,000 vehicles of different categories, including 25,000 e-cycles, 10,000 e-bikes and 3,000 e-cars, purchased between September 20, 2022, and September 19, 2027.
The incentive is available for EVs bought anywhere across the country, but only permanent residents of Chandigarh are eligible for it.
To promote EVs, the administration has also waived registration fee and road tax for five years, while owners of vehicles running on conventional fuels have to pay both.
But when it comes to public charging infrastructure, a key enabler for large-scale EV adoption, it has failed to provide adequate charging stations.
Even the 53 EV charging stations, that were to be launched by March 31, have missed the deadline, with work still pending and equipment being stolen from installed stations.
EV adoption in city
Two-wheelers
EV 1,815
Non-EV 21,570
Four-wheelers
EV 1,095
Non-EV 23,499
English