Tuesday, 24 OCTOBER 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The people of Dehradun are increasingly opting for electric vehicles, particularly e-scooters, to the conventional ones. This fact has been corroborated by the recent reports of the regional transport office (RTO) that says that a total of 1,690 e-scooters have been registered in Dehradun alone.
This is being attributed to the e-scooters being pollution-free and their affordability compared to the conventional fuel vehicles. However, with the number of electric vehicles being increasingly seen on the roads of the city, the number of charging stations for such vehicles is not increasing proportionately. The e-vehicle drivers often have to move a long way to recharging their vehicles. Even the State transport officers admit this fact and said that they are planning to install more such charging stations to further boost the use of this pollution-free means of transportation.
While commenting on the trend of e-scooters being increasingly seen in the city roads, the regional transport officer (enforcement) Shailesh Tiwari said that the sale volume of e-scooters has witnessed a significant surge in the city. “This is not just limited to e-scooters, it includes all types of e-vehicles. Various factors have contributed to this trend. They are environmentally friendly, they are more affordable than fossil fuel-driven vehicles and their maintenance costs are lower compared to the fuel-powered vehicles. This is why the people are now increasingly opting for e-scooters. This is a welcome trend in terms of a clean environment. However, in the light of their growing use, it is necessary to establish more charging stations across the city,” he said.
While talking to this correspondent, a trader dealing in automobiles Sidharth Bagga said that the sales of e-scooters in the city are witnessing a sharp increase of 50 per cent on an average. “The trend of the people choosing this mode of transport over the conventional fuel vehicles is a healthy one as this would facilitate drop in air pollution in the city. The price of e-scooters being much lower than conventional fuel-powered vehicles is another motivating factor behind the continuing surge in their sales,” he said.
A Dehradun resident who commutes daily through public transport vehicles, Kamlesh Jain said that he has been commuting by e-scooter for the past one year. “Aside from the environmentally friendly nature of such vehicles, its reasonable cost untouched by the erratic price variations in petrol and diesel in the markets is another factor behind their growing popularity among the people. Now, the Transport department must establish charging stations for e-vehicles across the city to further boost the use of such vehicles,” he added.
