The electric wave has reached Calcutta, and the city is slowly but surely adopting battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) as a mode of transport.

In the first month of the new year, 530 units of four-wheeler EVs were registered in Bengal, most in Calcutta. The number was 177 in January last year, according to Vahan data. The rate of adoption is higher for two-wheeler EVs and three-wheeler EVs.

“There is a huge amount of interest in EVs. People are enquiring and taking test drives at our showroom,” said Saurabh Kedia of Shree Auto, one of the Mahindra & Mahindra dealerships in the city.

The company has launched its born-electric vehicles, the BE 6e and XEV 9e, in the market and is due to open bookings on February 14. All Mahindra dealerships are being upgraded to establish a new brand identity with the launch of their premium EVs.

Tata Motors has the first-mover advantage. It has the lion’s share of EV sales. It sold 230 units from its five-vehicle EV portfolio, with the highest sales coming from its Tiago EV, which starts at ₹7.99 lakh.

“EV adoption is being led by people who want a cheaper and cleaner mode of transportation and does a minimum kilometer run per day that saves fuel costs and absorbs the cost of acquisition,” said Rohit Chowdhury, state head of FADA. EVs are relatively more expensive than Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles even after a levy of the lowest GST slab of 5 per cent. ICE vehicles are taxed at 28 per cent.

EV adoption is also being helped by subsidies in road taxes given by the Bengal government. The state government levies a flat road tax of ₹25,000 for five years on electric four-wheelers irrespective of vehicle price. The same for other vehicles is 5.5 per cent of the invoice price for five years.

The two main concerns regarding electric vehicles on customers’ minds are the driving range on a single charge because of limited charging infrastructure availability and the battery, meaning how long the
battery will last before needing replacement.

“At present, most manufacturers are offering a warranty of eight years or 1,60,000km for battery and motor,” said Chowdhury.

Mahindra seeks to change the game offering unlimited warranty for its battery pack. “We are assuring customers that they need not change the whole battery at the end of life but just replace the cells that have run out of life,” said Chowdhury.

The lithium-ion battery price constitutes a significant portion of the vehicle price. With the Lithium prices falling globally and the fast-advancing technology, the price is expected to fall.

Having said that, prices have not fallen as expected leading to a global slowdown of EV sales. Regarding range anxiety, most dealers are assuring customers that home charging will suffice for their daily commute.

“On average, a customer does a 120km run daily, according to a survey. So a vehicle with a 180km range will suffice for him. All he needs to do is charge his vehicle at home or office. In case they are on low charge or forget to charge at home, they can have an additional charger installed at the workplace or can avail of the public chargers that can be accessed by downloading apps from service providers,” said Chowdhury.

The real situation of public charging infrastructure is not very encouraging with reports of defunct charging stations and other issues.

“Many customers are waiting and watching how the EV scenario plays out. Things are in flux,” said an industry expert.

Everyone is waiting for the largest automobile maker in India to launch its first EV, the e-Vitara, the company showcased in the recently-held Bharat Mobility Global Show, 2025.

Maruti has promised to set up a charging network over its 1,000-plus dealerships. “That will change the game,” said Partha Banerjee, senior executive officer, of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL).

While Tata Motors leads the EV sales in Bengal with 230 units in January 2025, JSW MG Motors, a British brand co-owned by JSW Group and SAIC of China, had the second highest sales of 172 units followed by the e-C3 sales of Citroen of about 80 units. Mahindra sold 30 units of its e-XUV 400.