In 2023, as many as 7,033 e-vehicles (including heavy vehicles, motorcycles, cars, and goods autorickshaws) were registered in the city's four RTOs.The number of e-vehicles (EVs) has increased in the district over the last two years. However, the number of charging stations has not increased proportionately.
The Coimbatore district has eight regional transport offices (RTOs), including four in the city and the rest in rural areas such as Mettupalayam, Pollachi, Sulur, and Valparai. As many as 6,849 electric vehicles (BOV) were registered from till December 24 this year at the four RTOs (Central, South, North, and West) in the city,
In 2023, as many as 7,033 e-vehicles (including heavy vehicles, motorcycles, cars, and goods autorickshaws) were registered in the city's four RTOs.
"Overall, the normal car and electric vehicle sales were down in the last few months. Around INR 73,000 crore worth of cars remain unsold across the country. Many new electric motorcycles were introduced in the market. Many fire incidents involving these vehicles were also reported across the state. This was the main reason for the slowdown in the sales of e-vehicles in the country," said an e-vehicle dealer.
Data available with the RTOs showed that 3,945 e-vehicles were registered in the city's four RTOs in 2022, 1,133 in 2021, and only 194 in 2020.
Already, the state govt issued a GO in 2023, extending the tax exemption for all categories of EVs up to 2026. An official from the transport department said this would encourage buyers to switch to EVs from regular vehicles.
"We have 300 charging stations in South India and around 75 charging stations on all the major highways in Tamil Nadu. Now, the electric vehicle manufacturers are increasing the range, and the industry is growing rapidly," said Mansur N, team head, Zeon Electric Private Limited.
