The world is slowly moving towards Electric Vehicles (EV), and some of them are making their way to our country as well. The Chinese automobile manufacturer Great Wall Motor is planning to launch its electric car Ora R1 in India and expand its network this year. It is termed as the cheapest electric vehicle available in the world with a price range of $8.6k to $11k (INR 6.2 lakhs to INR 8 lakhs).
The car is said to have a maximum range of 351km, and it runs on a 35KW motor. With a 351km range, it can be compared with other electric cars in the Indian market that have an average range of 270km and the maximum range of 452km on a full charge, which is claimed by Hyundai Kona. But then the drawback is that the car costs INR 28 lakhs. The average cost of an electric vehicle is INR 13-INR 14 lakhs, which is twice the price of the economical vehicles that are run on traditional fuel.
Burning the pocket with EVs prices in India
India’s air pollution crisis is soaring high, and the country is taking significant steps to shift towards green energy sources. The Indian government has promoted electric vehicle adoption through tax cuts and EV-focused subsidies; the higher cost of EVs is a constant reason for concern among Indian consumers.
The high cost of electric vehicles is because of the lack of lithium-ion battery manufactures in India. At present, the auto manufacturers are importing the lithium-ion batteries from other countries. Some automakers have decided to set up a battery manufacturing plant in India to reduce the costing. Suzuki, Toshiba, and Densi have agreed to form a joint venture and invest INR 3,715 cr to bump up the production of lithium-ion batteries.
