Electric vehicles steal the limelight at Auto Expo 2023

The 2023 Auto Expo got to a rousing start for the public on January 13 and electric vehicles (EVs) stole the limelight in the biennial automotive show. More than 70 domestic and international automakers showcased their electric vehicles at the expo. Suzuki Motor President Suzuki Toshihiro, at the sidelines of the expo, said that electric vehicles have emerged as a viable option for vehicle owners and synthetic fuel and hydrogen are also new-age options in the automobile space.

As electric mobility catches on in the country, the central government plans on cutting down on vehicular pollution and will work on encouraging 30 per cent of vehicle owners to switch to EVs by 2030. With India grappling with serious air pollution over the last few years, the Central government has planned to reduce vehicular pollution.

As per the NHK World report, the country's car population of 1.4 billion is expected to expand even further. The main attraction of the event was Maruti Suzuki's latest concept EV, which is claimed to be capable of travelling 550 kilometres on a single charge and the manufacturer aims to put it up for sale by 2025 in the Indian automotive market.

Other manufacturers in the Indian auto space such as Tata Motors and South Korea's Hyundai Motor Company also showcased their EVs at the event.

In December last year, the national capital created a history by achieving the highest ever state-UT-wise monthly electric vehicle sales in the country by registering 7,046 electric vehicles with a year-on-year growth of 86 per cent. Since the launch of the EV policy, the UT registered 93,239 electric vehicles, of which two-wheelers contribute nearly 55 per cent of the total EV sales in the year 2022.

Delhi's EV policy was launched on August 7, 2020, with two-wheelers and three-wheelers identified as the priority vehicle segment.