Is Tamil Nadu emerging as a dominant producer of electric vehicles (EVs)? If numbers are to go by, the State appears to be leading the race.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ Vahan Dashboard data, 10,44,600 EVs were registered with RTOs (road transport offices) till September 20, 2023. This number is achieved in nine months. The whole of 2022 saw 10,54,000 EVs registered across the country. Of the over ten lakh vehicles sold, more than 40 % have been made in Tamil Nadu. Though over a million EVs were sold in India, EV OEMs with production facilities in Tamil Nadu have contributed to over 4,10,000 units.
Details about the few EV OEMs and their sales reports as per the Vahan Dashboard (January – September 2023) are given below:
· Ola Electric (in Krishnagiri district): 1,75,608
· TVS Motor (in Krishnagiri district): 1,12,949
· Ather Energy (in Krishnagiri district): 77,764
· Ampere Vehicles (Greaves Electric) (in Ranipet district): 41,757
· BYD India (in Kanchipuram district): 1,725
· Stellantis (PCA Automobiles) (in Tiruvallur district): 1,533
· E-Royce Motors (in Coimbatore district): 1,242
· Hyundai Motor India (in Kanchipuram district): 1,023
· Reep Motors (in Chengalpattu district): 810
· TI Clean Mobility (in Tiruvallur district): 391
· Total: 4,14,802 units
Considered the automobile capital of India, Tamil Nadu has set its sights on becoming the top destination for EVs. The State has a robust automobile manufacturing ecosystem. Early this year, it rolled out its EV Policy. The Government, possessed with deep industry insights, has been working towards giving a big push to the EV ecosystem – manufacturing of batteries, charging infrastructure and others. In Tamil Nadu, six cities – Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem and Chennai - have been identified for development as EV hubs.
The Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicles Policy, 2023 power the EV sector growth and the key points include, among others:
· Accelerating the adoption of and enhancing the development of the EV ecosystem.
· Facilitating and supporting the manufacturing of EV components, especially cell technologies, batteries and charging infrastructure.
· New and expansion projects can avail incentives such as reimbursement of SGST, turnover-based subsidy, capital and advanced chemistry cell subsidies.
· Concerted approach to speed up the development of the EV ecosystem and cementing the State’s position as a leading EV hub.
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