EV Regns Drop Amid Subsidy Cuts And Charging Concerns

13 Jan 2025 CW Team

Katraj resident Vijaykumar Bhurke, who bought a two-wheeler from a popular brand, last year, was appalled when his bike failed to start in early Nov. "They took almost one-and-a-half months to fix the issue, causing me major hassles. I bought the bike for Rs 1.2 lakh. If my experience with the company went sour, why would I encourage my friends and acquaintances to opt for an electric vehicle," he asked.

Sachin Mahajan, state president of Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), told TOI that the biggest problem was due to the subsidy given to EVs. "In April 2024, the subsidy given to EVs by govt was reduced from Rs 55,000 to Rs 10,000. This resulted in the price of EVs shooting up. Between April and Aug, the EV market plummeted as dealers as well as customers were perplexed," Mahajan told.

Charging EVs was another issue that led to the drop, Mahajan said. Traffic jam and lack of infrastructure too have contributed.

"Too much traffic on the road is resulting in major traffic jams. I have heard from EV owners that they had to switch off the engine and AC and sit it out in the heat to avoid running out of charge. There is a serious lack of charging infrastructure. They are almost non-existent. While the Centre has schemes, they are not being implemented due to red tape," he added.

Sunil Chacco, president (L&D) of Joy e-bikes, blamed it on factors such as "after-sale service concerns" of certain brands and "negative publicity on social media about battery safety"

For the first time in three years, fewer electric vehicles were registered across the state in 2024, largely due to the sudden reduction of the subsidy for EVs, charging worries and after-sales service concerns of some brands. While the state saw a 20% drop in EV registrations in 2024 compared to 2023, the Pune Regional Transport Office recorded an over 32% drop, according to figures retrieved from the Vahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In the Pimpri Chinchwad RTO, registrations fell by more than 37% last year compared to 2023. Katraj resident Vijaykumar Bhurke, who bought a two-wheeler from a popular brand, last year, was appalled when his bike failed to start in early Nov. They took almost one-and-a-half months to fix the issue, causing me major hassles. I bought the bike for Rs 1.2 lakh. If my experience with the company went sour, why would I encourage my friends and acquaintances to opt for an electric vehicle, he asked. Sachin Mahajan, state president of Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), told TOI that the biggest problem was due to the subsidy given to EVs. In April 2024, the subsidy given to EVs by govt was reduced from Rs 55,000 to Rs 10,000. This resulted in the price of EVs shooting up. Between April and Aug, the EV market plummeted as dealers as well as customers were perplexed, Mahajan told. Charging EVs was another issue that led to the drop, Mahajan said. Traffic jam and lack of infrastructure too have contributed. Too much traffic on the road is resulting in major traffic jams. I have heard from EV owners that they had to switch off the engine and AC and sit it out in the heat to avoid running out of charge. There is a serious lack of charging infrastructure. They are almost non-existent. While the Centre has schemes, they are not being implemented due to red tape, he added. Sunil Chacco, president (L&D) of Joy e-bikes, blamed it on factors such as after-sale service concerns of certain brands and negative publicity on social media about battery safety

Infrastructure Urban

09 Apr 2026

Mineral Auction Rules Amended To Speed Mine Operationalisation

The Ministry of Mines notified the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2026 on 30 March 2026 to accelerate operationalisation of mines and improve ease of doing business in the mining sector. The amendment follows a prior change to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 effected on 17 October 2025 that introduced intermediary timelines between issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) and execution of the mining lease. The 2025 change provided that one per cent of performance security would be appropriated for each month of delay by the preferred bidder and introduced incentives for early operatio..

Infrastructure Transport

09 Apr 2026

Indian Railways Strengthens Telecom And AI Safety Systems

Indian Railways strengthened its telecom and digital infrastructure during 2025-26 with the aim of improving safety, operational efficiency and the passenger experience. The programme promoted modernisation through advanced technologies, robust communication systems and passenger-centric solutions. These measures were presented as part of a drive to build a digitally integrated rail ecosystem. A key development was the enhancement of the Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP MPLS) backbone, commissioned at 1,396 stations to meet bandwidth needs of mission-critical applications. ..

Infrastructure Transport

09 Apr 2026

NHAI Holds Workshop on Litigation Management and Coordination

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) organised a day-long workshop in New Delhi to strengthen capacity and interdepartmental synergy for faster execution of national highway projects. The event was held under Mission Karmayogi – Sadhana Saptah, an initiative of the Government of India to enhance governance through capacity building and improved processes. The workshop focused on structured and solution oriented deliberations to address implementation constraints. The session was chaired by the NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and brought together senior officials from NHAI, the M..