Several of those who have switched to electric vehicles are happy with the decision due to low fuel cost and less maintenance, but incidents of thermal runaway of EVs seem to have pushed the decision of prospective buyers to the backburner, as safety and battery life are among the concerns.
This has been revealed in a consumer perception survey done by Climate Trends along with Clean Mobility Shift in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. “While 70 per cent of commercial fleet owners are still wary of shifting to EVs due to initial investment and lack of public charging options. Similarly, insufficient battery range and low pickup are among the reasons commercial vehicle operators have not considered electric vehicles (EVs) on par with internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Among private users, 44 per cent are willing to buy an electric two-wheeler, while only 4 per cent would buy electric cars and other four-wheelers.”
As per the study, 100 per cent of the sample population in Coimbatore witnessed the public charging stations, while 79 per cent in Chennai and Madurai feel the charging facility is inadequate “Owners of commercial fleets will show more interest towards EVs if they are priced equivalent to the ICE vehicles and sufficient charging infrastructure exists.”
However, low running cost and less maintenance are factors both commercial fleet operators and individual buyers find appealing about EVs for both commercial operations and personal use. “But the most willingness to shift to EVs is shown by last-mile delivery fleet operators among commercial operators. Also, incentives for scrappage of ICE vehicles and retrofitment options did not yield among vehicle owners,” it said. Buyers want popular brands to launch EVs and hope for a variety to choose from.
Additional chief secretary (industries department) S Krishnan said, “EVs should be put to greater use to be accepted and the new policy has been framed in such a way that shared mobility is incentivised.” Subsidising charging infrastructure, fast-charging infrastructure in particular, will help more people opt for EVs. “The new EV policy has been drafted with a sunset clause to make the transition rapid.”
