Delhi witnesses a decline in sale of e-vehicles

Delhi dropped by six levels on the list of cities using electric vehicles during the year 2016-17, a recent survey conducted by industry body Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) has shown.

The research reveals that nearly 2000 or more e-vehicles were sold in each state of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The figure crossed 4000 in Gujarat, making it the topmost state in India, to plug to e-vehicles.

However, the national capital, which initially used to top this chart, now surprisingly ranks 7th with only 1072 e-vehicles sold during the same period.

"It's good to see so many people supporting this transition and adapting to electric vehicles to curb the alarming pollution levels and aiming to reduce emission levels of greenhouse gases. However, this is not enough for India and Delhi, being the national capital, unfortunately, lags in comparison to these states," said SMEV's Corporate Affairs' Director, Sohinder Gill.

SMEV, however, elaborated on the reasons for the bumpy ride to switch to e-cars and scooters.

"Challenges such as delay in subsidies and weak infrastructure need to be addressed," Gill stated.

The Indian government, of late, has been pushing for cleaner fuel and non-polluting technology, in order to bring down rising air pollution in various cities.

Earlier this month, Delhi's air quality deteriorated to a record low, leaving the residents gasping for breath and forcing the authorities to adopt emergency measures to bring down the pollution levels.

"State governments along with various industry bodies must work together and come out with the formulation of newer and greener policies for India to achieve the global emission norms, which is to make India a leader in the reduction of greenhouse gases and aim for lower pollution levels in all aspects," Gill concluded.