With rising fuel prices, more opt for electric vehicles in Thane – EQ Mag Pro
With the increasing fuel prices in the country, many are opting for electric vehicles and the demand for the same is at an all-time high in Thane city; in the first three months of this year, 1,283 E-vehicles have been registered in Thane Regional Transport Authority, more than those registered in the whole of last year.
The number of e-vehicles registered in Thane city gradually increased from 38 in 2018 to 107 in 2019 and 168 in 2020. Last year, 934 e-vehicles were registered in Thane. Among these, the highest number of registration was done in December. This trend has continued in 2022 with over a thousand vehicles registered in the first three months.
An RTO officer said, “The increase in fuel prices over the last few months is one of the prime reasons for many switching over to E-vehicles. These are easy to charge, affordable and tax exemptions also exist for such vehicles.”
Jayant Patil, deputy RTO, Thane, said, “From among the overall registered E-vehicles, more than 70% are two-wheelers and the rest are cars. In the beginning of the year, the number of two-wheelers registered was less but it picked up by March. There seems to be a slow but consistent increase in E-vehicles. As of now, Thane city does not have any public charging facility. Most E-vehicle owners either make provision for charging within their parking itself or take the batteries home to charge.”
Those who have purchased E-vehicles claim that they are good to travel in MMR but want the local administration to provide better charging facilities.
Hardik Desai, a 42-year-old resident of Ghodbunder Road, said, “We are currently charging our vehicles at home as the battery is portable. We are awaiting better provisions or charging stations in the city as this will make it convenient while travelling. If properly charged, the vehicle can run for around 45-50km but long distance travel could be difficult. As of now, we can ride within Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai only as there are very few charging stations facilities.”
Vishal Darekar, a 32-year-old resident of Louiswadi, said, “E-vehicles have better pick up and runs smoother. It does not have any periodic maintenance like petrol-run cars and the ease and comfort in driving also exists. Due to the lack of charging stations, we are not able to plan long-distance travel as it is very uncertain.”
Meanwhile, the Thane civic body has assured to provide charging stations for E-vehicles. Manisha Pradhan, pollution control officer, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), said, “We have selected 30 locations for public charging stations. Most of these will be on the corners of roads and will be equally available in all wards of the city. These charging points will have a combination of chargers for two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers as well. In the same spot, we shall include battery swapping provisions. In the next two months, work on these facilities will begin on a Public Private Partnership model.”
TMC also plans to provide electric charging points for Thane Municipal Transport buses at bus depots in the city.
Most big residential complexes and housing societies are making provisions for charging points. “It has been almost a year that we have provided three charging points in the common area of our complex, and in the last six months many new buildings have also set up such charging points within their localities. We are sure that with the increasing demand, by the end of the year, all societies in our residential complex will have common charging points for E-vehicles,” said Madhu Menon, president, Hiranandani Estates Residents Welfare Association.
Prakash Shelke, vintage cars and automobile expert, said, “For any car user, mileage is of importance and a fuel vehicle runs only for 15-20km with ₹120 per litre. The preference will always be an E-vehicle that just needs a charging point worth ₹10 and within six hours of charge, will easily cover over 60km. Just like how the number of CNG vehicles increased with increase in CNG stations, the charging points should also be made accessible so that more people are able to purchase E-vehicles.”
Source: PTI
