A blue and white three-wheeler plying on the National Highway, passing through the city, catches the eye of passers-by as the autorickshaw looks different from the existing yellow-coloured ones. The driver stopped at junctions, but many seemed to wonder whether it was a ‘hire’ auto or a ‘private one’.
“The vehicle, christened ‘Treo’, brought out by Mahindra, is designed for four persons, including the driver, and can attain a top speed of 45 km/hr. On a full charge, which takes three hours and 50 minutes, it can travel up to 100 km,” says Jayalakshmi of Neon Motors, one of the two dealers.
The lockdown and the economic crisis that followed seem to have an impact on sales. “The sales are dull, but we are confident that they will pick up after the economy returns to normal,” she says. “The lack of charging stations seems to be a hindrance to motorists going for EVs,” says Deputy Transport Commissioner G.C. Raja Ratnam.
“The existing charging stations of EPDCL and GVMC in the city can be utilised,” said G. Satyanarayana, District Manager, New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP).
‘Concessional rate’
“We are planning to set up 250 charging stations for electric vehicles in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Amaravati, Guntur, Nellore and Kakinada at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore. The Department of Heavy Industries has agreed to provide subsidy for purchase of the charging equipment and some of the government departments have come forward to provide their land at concessional rate for installation of the equipment,” NREDCAP Vice-Chairman and Managing Director S. Ramana Reddy told The Hindu. “We are in the process of identification of sites, preferably government sites, as the land cost in cities is high. We do not anticipate return on investment in the first two years but the availability of charging equipment and greater choice of brands with more manufacturers foraying into EV (Electric Vehicle) segment, would see more buyers of EVs in course of time,” he said.
“We are also planning to convert existing diesel autos, which are about five-year-old, into EVs. The battery manufacturers have also evinced interest in providing battery refills, like gas dealers do in the case of gas cylinders. We are planning to open four such battery dealer outlets, two each in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, on a trial basis. This is an attractive option to drivers as they can do away with comparatively high initial investment cost of EVs,” Mr. Ramana Reddy added.
