Many Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturers are considering hiking the prices of vehicles due to the global surge in the cost of cells. They are forced to increase it by 5 to 7 per cent. India’s largest electric carmaker Tata Motors will hike the prices of the Tiago EV by Rs 30,000-35,000 in January.
The government has been cautious about the EV industry since the recent fire episodes of electric two-wheelers. The government strengthened battery safety norms by introducing two-phase norms. Phase 1 of the norm called AIS 038 came into effect on December 1, 2022. The second phase will be effective from March 31, 2023. However, according to automakers, the two-phase norms increased the cost of battery procurement. The new norms require new designs, better thermal management, better battery management systems, and superior integration of the battery with the charger.
Meanwhile, according to the Vahan portal, EV sales have so far tripled compared with 2021. About 969,000 EVs have been sold in 2022. In 2021, it was about 322,000. Electric car sales have grown 167% to 31,900 units against 12,000 in 2021. Electric two-wheeler sales have risen to 600,000 units in 2022. It was 150,000 in 2021.
