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Karnataka is racing ahead in the electric vehicles sector, clocking sales of 1.6 lakh vehicles in 2023-24 and coming in at the third place after the much more populous Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. EV registrations in Karnataka have grown a whopping 1,275 percent over the last three years: the state now has 3.4 lakh two-, three- and four-wheeler EVs, compared to only 9,703 registered in 2020. In this, Karnataka has been keeping up with a southern trend—the state along with Kerala and Tamil Nadu accounted for a third of all EV sales in India in calendar year 2023. The latest surge was in line with the national trend of a sales rush witnessed in March.
Karnataka—home to Ather Energy and Ola Electric, the biggest two-wheeler EV manufacturers—is a pioneer that formulated the first electric vehicle policy in India in 2017. Ever since, it has done everything to put in place a robust e-mobility ecosystem. Its revised EV policy aims at getting Rs 50,000 crore in investment and creating over a lakh jobs. It boasts of the largest number of charging stations—over 5,000 across the state and more than 4,000 in Bengaluru Urban alone; more than 3,000 new stations are being planned.
The latest state budget envisaged roping in power supply companies in public-private partnerships to set up charging stations. The transport department is looking to bolster infrastructure along the state and national highways, which would encourage EV owners to use their vehicles for long journeys too. While EVs were exempt from taxes for many years, the state has now imposed a lifetime tax of 10 percent on vehicles that cost upwards of Rs 25 lakh. This is bound to pinch buyers, but is not likely to dent the booming market.
Karnataka’s moves towards e-mobility, an admirable example for other states, could not have come sooner considering the rising cost of fossil fuels and increasing pollution. By one count, the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India. And green mobility is both eco-friendly and economical. With governments doing their best to incentivise the sector, EVs are likely to make greater inroads in both urban and rural areas. The shift from fossil fuels to clean energy is inevitable. The sooner India shifts gears towards e-mobility, the faster we can reduce our carbon footprint and get closer to the net zero goal.
