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 Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

Infrastructure Urban

13 Oct 2025

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

Technology

13 Oct 2025

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..