While major cities like Bengaluru in Karnataka grapple with increasing traffic congestion and air pollution, smaller cities like Hubbali and Dharwad in the state’s north still have the option of adopting more sustainable modes of transportation. For Hubbali and Dharwad, a sustainable transportation system will mean focusing on shared vehicles, such as electric buses, whose electricity is generated from renewable energy sources. The process of developing sustainable transportation systems in these cities is ongoing. Meanwhile, the number of private electric vehicles (EVs), especially two-wheeled EVs, is steadily increasing, with some of these being manufactured locally.
Vinayak Navali, a 36-year-old builder from Hubbali, purchased an MG Windsor EV in late 2024 without much research. His car had broken down, so he decided to buy an EV immediately. After using it for four to five months, he realised that EVs could only be used as a second vehicle for now, primarily within city limits.
“When you drive an EV at speeds above 100 kmph, its range drops sharply to about 50 per cent of the company’s claimed range. If the vehicle is driven at a constant speed of 80 kmph, its range may be close to the company’s claimed range, but that is not a good option for me. For me, time is money, and I don’t want to compromise on that,” he told Down To Earth (DTE).
A while ago, while traveling to Chitradurga, about 200 km from Hubbali, he realised that an EV could be a terrible choice for highway travel. “When traveling that way, I usually leave home with my EV fully charged and then recharge it in Ranebennur, about 100 km from Hubbali, but for some reason, there wasn’t a charger available that day,” he said.
Navali then decided to drive to a charging station in Davangere, 40 km from Ranebennur. He traveled there at a speed of 140-150 kmph, but when he put his EV on charging, it wouldn’t charge. After trying four or five charging stations, he called the MG showroom to inquire.
“They told me I had to remove the battery and wait 45-50 minutes before trying to charge it again. The entire trip took me eight hours and was a very unpleasant experience,” Navali said, adding that the company hadn’t informed him of the problem in advance.
Vinayak also says that the number of electric cars in Hubbali has increased over the past year-and-a-half, making it challenging to find charging stations. He adds, “So, for now, I am using my EV within city limits. This way, I can charge it at home at night and use it during the day.”
He says he would only make an EV his primary vehicle if its range increased to 800-1,000 km and he could travel to and from Bengaluru without compromising on speed and acceleration. He adds that Hubbali’s air quality isn’t as bad as cities like Bengaluru and Delhi, so air pollution isn’t a major reason for immediate widespread adoption of EVs.
What role can EVs play in sustainable transportation systems for developing cities like Hubbali and Dharwad? The overall number of EVs is increasing, although the pace of this growth is not uniform across the Hubbali-Dharwad region.
As of August 20, 2026, the total number of non-transport EVs registered with the Dharwad East Regional Transport Office (RTO) is 15,444. These include battery-operated vehicles (BOVs), pure EVs, and strong hybrid vehicles. Meanwhile, the number of such vehicles registered with the Dharwad West RTO is 8,927.
Non-transport EV registrations in both RTOs, which register vehicles in Hubbali and Dharwad cities and surrounding rural areas, saw a sharp increase in 2022. Annual EV registrations in Dharwad East increased from 446 in 2021 to 2,217 in 2022, although they declined slightly from 2024 onwards. Non-transport EV registrations in Dharwad West increased from 363 in 2021 to 1,104 in 2022. The numbers have been steadily increasing since then.
“The number of EVs has increased in recent years due to several reasons. These include the ability for people to charge their vehicles at home, reduced pollutant emissions, and reduced dependence on other fuels,” Sridhar K Mallad, Deputy Commissioner of Transport and Senior Regional Transport Officer, Dharwad West, told DTE.
According to representatives at the MG showroom in Hubbali, the biggest concerns for customers purchasing EVs are vehicle range and fuel economy. Most of these customers are business owners who travel to nearby cities or towns daily, and they are able to save on petrol costs by purchasing an EV. In fact, the Comet and Windsor EVs have been the top sellers at the showroom.
“For every 25 vehicles sold, 20 are EVs, as customers are able to save up to Rs 20,000 on fuel costs every month,” a showroom representative told DTE.
Vinay Kumar Pujar, who runs Ikoniq Imports Private Limited, manufactures electric two-wheelers. He started selling them only six months ago and says his sales have been strong during this period.
“I have sold 600 vehicles in six months, and the number of sales has increased every month,” Pujar told DTE. He also has around 400 vehicles with dealers. He is manufacturing EVs locally in Belagavi, from scratch. He started the company in response to rising petrol and diesel prices.
Pujar said, “The price of our vehicles is much lower than the vehicles of other branded companies like Hero, Ather and TVS, which is being liked by the customers.”
He plans to sell around 1,000 vehicles per month over the next year or so. Pujar says the government’s tax exemption for three years out of a ten-year period is a major support policy.
As India begins to manufacture batteries domestically and their prices decrease, the number of EVs in Hubbali and Dharwad could increase further. According to Mallad, India currently imports most of its batteries from other countries like China and Ukraine.
He adds that charging infrastructure in Hubbali and Dharwad and on the surrounding highways is also adequate. There are approximately 4-5 charging stations in Hubbali and Dharwad cities, and many more on the surrounding highways.
“There are enough charging stations from Bengaluru to Belagavi, so people travelling on the highway should not face any problems,” Mallad said. DTE visited one such charging station operated by Hyundai in Adargunchi village, about 11 km from Hubbali on the Bengaluru Highway.
Zuber, an employee at the charging station, said, “Every day, around eight to ten vehicles stop here for charging.”
Representatives at the MG showroom in Hubbali pointed out a major problem faced by their customers, especially the elderly, regarding EV charging. They have to download different apps to charge their EVs at charging stations set up by different companies, and this often confuses them.
An MG representative told DTE, “Each company has a different app, which causes inconvenience for passengers. If all companies have a single app, it will be much easier for them.”
According to Snehal R., Deputy Commissioner and Collector of Dharwad district, EVs for personal use are not the right way for Hubbali-Dharwad in the long run. However, she supports electric mobility in public transport. “More than 50 per cent of the district’s population lives in urban areas, and public transport is currently quite good in the form of public and privately operated bus services,” she told DTE. “In addition, a large number of auto rickshaws ply the roads of Hubbali and Dharwad.”
According to Snehal, electric two-wheelers are available in the area, but they are not as common on the roads compared to cities like Bengaluru. Currently, there is not much scope for EVs for mass public transport in Hubbali and Dharwad. However, the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) plans to introduce 200 electric buses to ply in the urban areas of Hubbali, Dharwad, and Belagavi (Belgaum) by next year.
“I do not support private electric vehicles for personal transport, but I do support EVs for public transport as it will reduce fuel costs and a larger section of the population will benefit from this service,” Snehal said.
“The reason for this is that we don’t take into account the life-cycle costs of EVs, especially the cost of disposing of batteries after their end of life. Currently, there’s no way to dispose of lithium-ion batteries in an environmentally friendly manner, and this is going to become a major problem in seven to eight years,” he said.
She added, “People in Hubli and Dharwad still have a culture of walking to public transport or doing small daily chores and interacting with others along the way. This culture needs to be preserved.”