Maharashtra: Sale of power to e-vehicles in state sees three-fold rise

Electric two-wheelers at Bandstand in Bandra on February 5. File pic

The sale of electricity for electric vehicles in Maharashtra has gone up significantly in ten months, from 4.56 million units in September 2022 to 14.44 million units in July 2023 - a three-fold increase.

Rapid increase

"There are a total of 3,214 charging stations in the state, both public and private. There has been a steady increase with the sale of 4.56 million units in September 2022, 6.10 million units in March 2023 and 14.44 million units in July 2023," said Lokesh Chandra, chairman and managing director, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).

Sources said the number of electric vehicles in the state has increased rapidly. In 2018, 4,643 electric vehicles were sold in the state and the number increased to 1,89,698 in 2022. As of March 31, 2023, the total number of electric vehicles in the state is 2,98,838, including nearly 2.5 lakh two-wheelers. The number of electric buses has also increased rapidly in Maharashtra. While four such vehicles were registered in the state in 2018, in 2022, this number was 336. At the end of March 2023, the figure was 1,399.

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Value for money

Electric vehicles help save the environment and money. A conventional two-wheeler that runs on petrol costs its owner around Rs 2.12 per kilometre. The cost per kilometre of its electric counterpart, however, is around 54 paise. A petrol-powered four-wheeler costs its owner about Rs 7.57 per kilometre while the amount is Rs 1.51 for its electric counterpart. The cost per kilometre of a three-wheeler is around Rs 3.2 for a vehicle that runs on petrol as opposed to 59 paise for one that is powered by electricity.

3,214
No of charging stations in the state