Electric Vehicles: Future of Transportation
Out of the 10 most polluted cities
in the world, 9 are located in India. All these cities, including Greater
Noida, Noida, Lucknow and Delhi, located in north India, though very harmful to
the environment and human health, contribute to many factors in this pollution,
vehicular pollution plays a significant role in this.
It is not surprising, therefore,
that the gradual but continuous spread of electric vehicles in India is being
encouraged. At the same time, in terms of our capacity for transport, we have
returned to the earlier status quo. In the 1900s, the whole debate in favor of
electric vehicles (EV) was strong to kneel before fuel-based vehicles, but
hopefully it will not happen now.
In the new scenario, with growing
support for electric vehicles, India needs to prepare itself with incentives
for car companies and consumers to adopt better charging infrastructure,
battery manufacturing factories and electric vehicles.
Electric
Vehicles (EVs)
Electric vehicles are powered by
electric motors instead of internal combustion engines and are fitted with
batteries instead of fuel tanks. In general, the operating cost of electric
vehicles is low as their operating process is simple and they are also
environmentally friendly. In India, the fuel cost for electric vehicles is
about 80 paisa per kilometer. 7-8 per kilometer on petrol-powered vehicles with
petrol price of more than Rs.100 per liter in Indian cities.
Possibilities
in India
The private sector has welcomed the
necessity of electric vehicles. Companies like Amazon, Swiggy and Zomato are
making more and more use of EVs for their delivery operations. Mahindra-like
car maker's partnership with a consumer service provider like Ola and Tata
Motors' partnership with Blue Smart Mobility will ensure more electric vehicle
delivery and ride-hailing services.
Associated
Challenges
Lack of charging infrastructure: The most serious challenge related to electric vehicles is the lack of charging infrastructure in India. Electric vehicles are usually powered by lithium-based batteries. These batteries usually need to be charged every 200-250 km. Therefore, there is a need for a thorough expansion of charging points. Slow charging problem: It takes up to 12 hours to fully charge EVs at home using a private light-duty slow charger. Only select charging stations are available across the country as an alternative to this technical problem of slow charging at home. The number of these charging stations is very inadequate for a large and densely populated country like India. Lack of a stable policy for electric vehicle production: Electric vehicle production is a capital intensive sector, where long-term planning is needed to achieve equality and profitability. The uncertainty of government policies related to electric vehicle production discourages investment in the industry.
Technical
Challenges
India is technically backward in terms of
electronics production, while batteries, semiconductors, controllers, etc., are
considered very important for the electric vehicle industry. Lack of associated
infrastructure support: Lack of clarity with regard to 'AC vs DC' charging
stations, grid stability and 'range visibility' (fear that batteries will soon
run out) are some other factors, hampering the growth of the electric vehicle
industry. Reduction in availability of material for domestic production: Battery
is the most important component of electric vehicles. There is no known reserve
of lithium and cobalt in India, which is essential for battery production.
India is dependent on countries like Japan and China for import of lithium ion
batteries. Shortage of skilled workers: EVs require constant servicing and high
level skilled skills for servicing. India lacks training courses dedicated to
such skill development.
The
way forward
Enhancing R&D in electric
vehicles: The Indian market needs incentives for indigenous technologies that
are India friendly both strategically and economically. Since investment in
local R&D is essential to bring down prices, it would be appropriate to
seek the cooperation of local universities and existing industrial centres. India
should work closely with countries like the United Kingdom and make the
development of electric vehicles consistent. Making people aware: Breaking old
norms and building a new consumer behaviour is always challenging. Therefore,
there is a need to make people aware and sensitive to address the apprehensions
prevailing in the Indian market and to promote electric vehicles.
Viable
power pricing
'Home charging' can also be a problem given the current electricity prices. In a bet of power prices, other options have to be tried in lieu of coal based thermal power plants. Thus, the entire power generation scenario also needs to be changed to facilitate the development of electric cars. It is heartening to note that India is on track to become one of the largest solar and energy storage markets in the world by 2025. The combination of solar powered grid solutions will ensure adequate charging infrastructure as a green alternative. Building a closed-loop mobility ecosystem: Subsidizing manufacturing for electric supply chains will definitely improve the growth scenario of electric vehicles in India. A strong supply chain will also need to be set up along with charging infrastructure. In addition, recycling stations of batteries will need to recover metals (used for electrification) from batteries to produce a close-loop. Chinese and South Korean companies are known to be the largest suppliers of lithium-based EV batteries. A new global system may emerge to replace the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). With better charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing factories and smart incentives for car companies and consumers to adopt electric, India will have to prepare a plan to find its suitable place in this new system.
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