In a remarkable move UK has recently pledged to completely ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. As a part of its Green Agenda UK strives to establish infrastructure for electric vehicles.
A similar move was taken up by the government of India in 2017, as they are keen on replacing fuel-driven vehicles with electric vehicles by 2030. But this process was slowed down due to resistance from the automobile industry and fear of job loss.
As the pollution levels are dangerously high EV’s are the option to go for. According to the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT), an estimated 74,000 premature deaths were attributable to air pollution from transportation tailpipe emissions in India in 2015.
Also, many top polluted cities in the world are from India. India was the 5 most polluted country in 2019, with Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region ranked as the most polluted city in the world, according to a World Air Quality Report 2019 compiled by IQAir Air Visual. The Climate Risk Index 2020 released by the environment think tank, German watch, India’s rank has worsened from the 14th spot in 2017 to 5th in 2018 in the global vulnerability ladder. India’s average temperature has risen by around 0.7°C during 1901–2018. The summer monsoon precipitation (June to September) over India has declined by around 6% from 1951 to 2015, with notable decreases over the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Western Ghats.
India has witnessed a drastic climate change since the middle of the twentieth century, a rise in average temperature; a decrease in monsoon precipitation; a rise in extreme temperature and rainfall events, droughts, and sea levels; and an increase in the intensity of severe cyclones, alongside other changes in the monsoon system. There is compelling scientific evidence that human activities have influenced these changes in regional climate.
There are various reasons at force that result in this climate change but fuel emission is one big cause especially in the urban cities. The Indian government has created momentum through its Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles schemes that encourage, and in some segments mandates the adoption of electric vehicles , with a goal of reaching 30% EV penetration by 2030. If these aims are realised by 2030, they will generate an estimated saving of up to 474 Millions of tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) and 846 million tonnes of net CO2 emissions over their lifetime. Fiscal Incentives that are various fiscal demand incentives have been put in place to spur the production and consumption of EVs and charging infrastructure – such as income tax rebates, exemption from customs duties, etc.
EV’s are certainly new to Indian Market, both the manufacturers and dealers seem to be uncertain with this change. Hence, they need encouragement for indigenous technologies that are suited for India from both strategic and economic standpoint.
Given current electricity prices, home charging may also be an issue if the generation is from thermal power plants run on coal. Thus, a shift in the electricity generation landscape as a whole is what is required to facilitate the growth of electric cars. In this context, India is on track to become one of the largest solar and energy storage markets by 2025. A combination of solar-powered grid solutions that are organised with a general improvement in grid resilience will ensure adequate charging infrastructure for EV’s being a green option. Subsidizing manufacturing for an electric supply-chain will certainly improve the EV development in India.
Along with charging infrastructure, the establishment of a robust supply chain will also be needed. Recycling stations for batteries will need to recover the metals from batteries used in electrification to create the closed-loop required for the shift to electric cars to be an environmentally-sound decision.
It might not be easy to replace age old technologies and fuel based vehicles for a country like India. But it certainly is not impossible rather it is urgent keeping in view climatic conditions and pollution levels.
