Pune hosts India's largest EV rally

Pune played host to India's largest EV Rally this Sunday. The event was part of the Alternate Fuel Conclave that has been envisioned to drive the conversation regarding towards electrification and green mobility.

The EV Rally saw participation from over 400 electric vehicles across genres of two-, three- and four-wheelers and as well as buses.

The electric two-wheelers were out in full force with participants proudly riding in on their electric scooters and electric motorcycles. It was a place where spectators could see the full colour palette of Ola's scooters, with Ather represented in big numbers as well. Revolt, Tork and Exer were some of the other marques that were part of the rally.

There were the usual suspects from the green number plate club when talking four-wheelers including Tata's Nexon EV and Tigor EV, and MG's ZS EV. A Mercedes-Benz EQC and an Audi e-tron, entered by Autocar India, were part of the line-up as well.

What added even greater variety were some unusual EV conversions. Northway Motorsports' Maruti Ignis EV, unique for its 5-speed gearbox, drew interest while Ador's e-Diggi, an all-electric Fiat 1100, was met with smiles by attendees. An all-electric Maruti Gypsy by Pixy Cars was another entry that showed the possibilities of electric drive on existing cars.

The EV Rally was flagged off at the Agricultural College Grounds at Range Hills and took a circuitous 28km route through some of Pune's famous landmarks and roads, such as MG Road, Empress Gardens, Pune RTO, Jangli Maharaj Road and Fergusson College.

Participants got the red carpet treatment as a police escort lead the way. The vehicles ran quiet as you'd expect, though the joyful tooting of horns by participants gave the event an ambience usually seen on marathons. There were smiles all over and the overwhelming feeling among participants was of being first movers amidst a transformational change in the automotive sphere.

The Alternate Fuel Conclave concludes on April 5 and has played host to discussions among key stakeholders on furthering the cause of green mobility, from a vehicle, infrastructure and policy point of view.