In line with the recovery of the automotive sector, electric vehicle (EV) sales bounced back in June 2021 as the segment grew by 79.59% to 11,149 units in June 2021, compared to 6,208 units in the same month last year, according to Vahan, a national register e-service.
The EV retail sales in June 2021 witnessed an M-o-M jump of 236% compared to May 2021 sales which stood at 3,303 units. This sudden rise can be attributed to the ease of lockdown restrictions across states in the country.
In terms of segment, the electric three-wheeler led the EV sales, followed by electric two-wheeler and then electric passenger vehicles.
The E3Ws (both passenger and cargo-type) retail sales in June 2021 stood at 5,754 units, increasing Y-o-Y by 29.15%. The share of cargo-type E3W in the overall E3W sales has been on a falling trend over the previous two months, April and May. However, in June, the segment witnessed the share of E3W cargo increase to 12.3%.
In terms of electric two-wheelers, the overall high-speed E2W sales in the country in June 2021 stood at 4,057 units, witnessing a Y-o-Y jump of 190%. The top four (Hero Electric, Okinawa, Ampere, Ather) players continue to dominate the high-speed market with a 68% share in June-21 sales.
Experts tracking the segment said June is the turning point for the EV industry. Major announcements such as the extension of FAME-II, increased subsidy, Gujarat EV policy, and Delhi single-window clearance for charging scheme will amplify the EV sales in the coming months.
This is especially true in the electric two-wheeler segment as the price difference between an electric scooter and a combustion engine scooter has been drastically reduced by a recent subsidy scheme. In fact, Ampere, the electric vehicle company of Greaves Cotton, claims that its high-speed EV is much cheaper than a normal scooter in Gujarat.
According to the company, after the subsidy increase in the FAME-II scheme and Gujarat EV policy, the revision in price cut has made even the large scooters from Ampere Electric affordable and now priced under INR 50,000 in Gujarat.
In terms of four-wheelers, Tata Nexon continued to rule the segment with a 76% share in June 2021 sales, followed by MG Motor at 20% share. The segment saw sales of over 735 units in June 2021, registering the second-best ever sales since June 2020. In the month of March, the segment registered 876 units of electric passenger vehicles.
Uttar Pradesh has maximum monthly registered EV sales among all the states and UTs, with 27% of overall sales in India in June 2021. Maharashtra has the second highest sales at 10% share, followed by Tamil Nadu 9%.