Power sale for EVs triples in 10 months in Maharashtra
The sale of electricity for electric vehicles (EVs) in Maharashtra increased from 4.56 million units in the month of September 2022 to 14.44 million units in July this year and there has been a threefold increase in the sale of electricity in 10 months, informed Lokesh Chandra, Chairman and Managing Director of Mahavitaran.
Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Devendra Fadnavis has suggested promoting EVs to protect the environment. Mahavitaran is the nodal agency for providing EV charging facilities for Maharashtra. Various works are done by Mahavitaran, like setting up charging stations for EVs through Mahavitaran or helping to set up private charging stations, providing mobile app facilities to help in charging of EVs, helping the government in making policy decisions for EVs.
There are a total of 3,214 charging stations in the state, both public and private. If the sale of electricity for vehicles through these is taken into account, there seems a rapid increase. For vehicles, electricity sales in the state were 4.56 million units in September 2022, 6.10 million units in March 2023 and 14.44 million units in July 2023.
The number of EVs in the state has increased rapidly. In 2018, around 4,643 EVs were sold in the state while in 2022, more than 1,89,698 EVs were sold. As on 31 March 2023, the total number of EVs in the state was 2,98,838. Among these nearly three lakh EVs, the number of two-wheelers is two and a half lakh. The number of electric buses has increased rapidly in the state. Only four electric buses were registered in the state in 2018. In the year 2022, this number increased to 336. At the end of March 2023, there were a total of 1,399 electric buses in the state.
Profitable journey
EVs help save the environment and save a lot of money. “A conventional two-wheeler running on petrol costs around Rs 2.12 per km while an electric two-wheeler costs around 54 paise per km. A petroleum-powered four-wheeler costs about Rs 7.57 per km while an electric four-wheeler costs Rs. 1.51 per km. Even the cost per km of a three-wheeler is around Rs 3.2 for petroleum and 59 paise for electricity,” a statement issued by Mahavitaran said.
