GUNTUR: After the year-covid pandemic, households have been facing a big time challenge of rising budgets. Petrol prices have crossed Rs 100 per liter mark. A hike in fuel prices is convincing commuters to look at cheaper options.
Electric vehicles have become a strong and economical alternative to get haulage in the current situation, with advantages like less maintenance cost and low cost per km as compared to petrol vehicles.The demand for electric vehicles, especially for two-wheelers has been increasing in Palnadu district, as the commuters, even in rural areas, are unable to afford the fuel prices.
K Ramaraju, a government employee who uses an electric two-wheeler opined that an electric two-wheeler can be just bought with the total sum of money we spend on purchasing petrol alone.“I have to travel 50 km daily. While it used to cost me Rs 3,500 per month for petrol alone, now it only costs Rs 225 to charge two-kilowatt electric vehicle. Now, I am using those savings to pay my EMIs of the electric vehicle,” he added.
According to district road transport department officials, in the past years, number of electric two-wheelers increased significantly as they are better than internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of enhanced energy security, reduced reliance on crude oil, better air quality, and lower greenhouse gas emissions
“While they were in the hundreds, a year ago, the number reached to over 25,000. Apart from this, commuters who have already purchased a petrol-run two-wheeler are switching to electric by retrofitting. NREDCAP is also planning to set up more electric charging centers to facilitate four-wheelers charging. Various automobile companies are now introducing variety of models and colors to provide a wide range of choices to the people,” said the officials.