Kerala emerges as frontrunner in EV adoption race in India
Tata Motors and MG Motor India that are reporting high demand for electric cars from this tiny southern state that accounts for only about 4% of all passenger vehicles sold in India. Kerala has emerged a frontrunner in adoption of the technology, trailing only Maharashtra in lapping up electric cars like Tata Tiago EV to MG Comet, launched at affordable price points in the mass market in the past 12-18 months.
It is followed by Karnataka and Gujarat. Together, the three states accounted for about 35% of the 82,000-odd electric cars sold in the country in CY2023.
Greater consumer awareness, lower cost of operations and wider spread of charging infrastructure have been driving up sales in these states, senior industry executives told ET.
“With growing awareness about the technology and its usage, concerns over range anxiety are easing out. Especially in these states (Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat), we are seeing more and more consumers becoming comfortable (buying electric cars),” said Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM) that has a share of more than 70% in the electric passenger vehicle segment in the country. “Our database shows 90% of our consumers charge their cars at home. The average distance they drive stands at about 40 km/day,” he said.
MG Motor, which has on offer Comet and ZS EV electric vehicles, is selling about 100 units of these cars every month in Bengaluru alone, compared to about 50-odd units in a much larger market like the National Capital Region.
