KOLKATA: Electric vehicles (EVs) have outpaced traditional diesel-powered vehicles in Kolkata.Nowhere is this green dominance more definitive than at Public Vehicles Department (PVD) in Beltala, Kolkata’s largest vehicle registration hub, which has witnessed a steady decline in the enrolment of diesel vehicles.The trend coincides with the central govt’s clean energy push. The issue acquired more urgency in the wake of the West Asia conflict, which triggered a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a drastic reduction in petrol and diesel consumption.
In 2022, the Beltala office had registered 2,854 diesel units. In 2025, that figure contracted sharply to 2,075 units. This year, till April 30, 875 diesel-powered vehicles were registered.In contrast, PVD has seen a spurt in the registration of vehicles run on green energy. In 2022, 824 BOVs (battery-operated vehicles) were registered in Beltala (there was no application for Pure EVs that year).Last year, Beltala registered a whopping 3,724 EVs — 532 BOVs and 3,192 Pure EVs — far more than the diesel units recorded (2,075).The momentum seems to have stayed intact, with Pure EVs racking up 1,729 registrations in the first four months of 2026. As for BOVs, 28 units were registered during the period.Despite the surge in EV count, petrol-powered vehicles remain the market leader. PVD logged a massive 19,651 petrol units in 2025 and 3,260 units till April 30 this year. Experts said Kolkata could have seen the rollout of more EVs had there been enough fastcharging infrastructure spread across the city.Behala, Salt Lake RTOs also see rise in EV regnThe green revolution in car registration is not confined to the city’s core zone. Two other regional transport offices in Kolkata — Behala and Salt Lake — have seen a similar trend.In 2025, Behala logged just 457 diesel vehicles against a combined EV surge of 942 units (195 BOVs and 747 Pure EVs). This year, till April 30, 676 EV units were registered, compared with 191 diesel vehicles. No EV was registered in that RTO in 2022. From 2022 to last year, Behala has seen a drop in the registration of diesel vehicles from 472 to 457.The Salt Lake RTO registered 1,496 diesel vehicles in 2025, compared with 1,524 in 2022. In contrast, the registration of green vehicles has risen from zero to 1,339 (255 BOVs and 1,084 Pure EVs) there.Salt Lake has also emerged as a vital hub for hybrid technology, registering 278 Strong Hybrids in 2025 and an additional 131 units in the first four months of 2026. At the Kasba RTO, however, diesel registrations increased from 1,370 in 2022 to 1,613 in 2025. The combined EV registrations rose from zero to 1,309 units during the period. This year, till April 30, 627 EVs were registered.
