Minister for road transport & highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the cost of electric vehicles (EVs) will be at par with petrol-run vehicles in the next two years, thanks to rapid improvement in technology and availability of green fuel.
“I can assure you that within a maximum of two years from today, the cost of electric scooters, autorickshaws, cars will be at par with petrol-run scooters, motorcycles, autorickshaw and cars,” the minister said, replying on the Demands for Grants for Road Transport and Highways Ministry, 2022-23, in the Lok Sabha.
The minister’s confidence exuded from the fact that the prices of lithium-ion batteries, an important item used in electric vehicles, have been gradually coming down. Also, efforts are being made to develop zinc-ion, aluminium-ion and sodium-ion.
Adopting electric vehicles will be highly beneficial for users, since their cost of operating the vehicles will be reduced by one-tenth. Electric vehicles neither make noise, nor do they emit smoke.
Gadkari said demand for electric vehicles from consumers has also been encouraging. The minister added that he was receiving requests from potential buyers for getting electric vehicles delivered soon.
As per government data, 0.32 million EVs got registered in India in 2021, compared with just 0.16 million in 2019.
