Transportation of the future

Electric vehicles: Transportation of the future

[29/09/23]

India's EV market is expected to expand at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49% between 2021-2030, with the segment's volumes set to cross yearly sales of 17 Million units by 2030.

By 2030, NITI Aayog expects to reach 70% EV market penetration for all commercial vehicles, 30% for private vehicles, 40% for buses, and 80% for two and three-wheelers. This is consistent to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070.

It discusses the challenges associated with the proliferation of electric vehicles and measures to increase their market penetration.

Reference

Of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, 9 are located in India. All these cities including Greater Noida,Noida, Lucknow and Delhi are located in North India. Although many factors contribute to this pollution

which is extremely harmful for the environment and human health, pollution caused by vehicles plays a

significant role in it.

So it is not surprising that the proliferation of electric vehicles is being slowly but steadily encouragedin India. At the same time, we are back to status quo in terms of our transportation capabilities.The entire electric vehicle (EV) debate in the 1900s was forced to succumb to fuel-based vehicles,

but hopefully that won't be the case now,In the year 1886, a German engineer Carl Benz applied for his 'gas engine powered vehicle' and was

also granted a patent (37435). A few months later, commercial production of 'Benz Motor' car started. According to most evidence, this is where the commercial production of vehicles powered by gas engines beganIt is noteworthy that a few years before Benz obtained the patent, William Morrison, a chemist from America's 'Iowa Province', had also succeeded in operating a six-seater electric vehicle. By the year 1900, electric cars accounted for

more than one-third of all vehicles sold in America. This progress of electric cars got a big push when Ford started mass producing automobiles, the prices of which were also relatively low. Due to the low price of cars and low cost of fuel

due to mass production in the early 1900s, motorcars and bikes are running indiscriminately on our roads at present.

In the new scenario, with growing support for electric vehicles, India needs to prepare itself with better charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing factories and incentives for car companies and consumers to adopt electric vehicles.

Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Electric vehicles are powered by electric motors instead of internal combustion engines and have batteries instead of fuel tanks.

In general, electric vehicles have low operating costs because they have simple operating procedures and are also environmentally friendly.

In India, the fuel cost for an electric vehicle is around 80 paise per kilometer. In comparison, petrol-powered vehicles today cost Rs 7-8 per kilometer in Indian cities with petrol prices exceeding Rs 100 per liter

Prospects in india

The private sector has welcomed the inevitability of electric vehicles.

Companies like Amazon, Swigy and Zomato are increasingly using EVs for their delivery operations.

The partnership of a car manufacturer like Mahindra with a consumer service provider like Ola and Tata Motors 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 typically powered by lithium-based batteries These batteries usually need to be charged every 200-250 kilometers. Hence there is a need for denser spread of charging points.

Slow charging problem: It takes up to 12 hours to fully charge EVs at home using a personal light-duty slow charger. As an alternative to this technical problem of slow charging at home, only select charging stations are available across the country.

The number of these charging stations is extremely 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, which requires long-term planning to achieve uniformity and profitability. The uncertainty of government policies related to electric vehicle production discourages investment in this industry.

Technical Challenges: India is technologically backward in terms of electronics production, whereas batteries, semiconductors, controllers etc. are considered very important for the electric vehicle industry.

Lack of associated infrastructure support: Lack of clarity regarding 'AC vs DC' charging stations, grid stability and 'range anxiety' (fear that the battery will run out soon) are some of the other factors hindering the growth of the electric vehicle industry. Are disrupting.

Shortage of skilled workers: EVs require frequent servicing and servicing requires a high level of skill. There is a lack of dedicated training courses for such skill development in India.

the way forward,

Increasing R&D in Electric Vehicles: The Indian market needs encouragement for indigenous technologies that are India-friendly from both a strategic and economic perspective.

Since investment in local research and development is necessary to reduce costs, it would be appropriate to seek cooperation from local universities and existing industrial centers.

India should work closely with countries like the United Kingdom and harmonize the development of electric vehicles.

Making people aware: It is always challenging to break old norms and create a new consumer behavior. Therefore, there is a need to make people aware and sensitized to remove the apprehensions prevalent in the Indian market and promote electric vehicles.

Viable electricity pricing: ‘Home charging’ may also be an issue given current electricity prices. To reduce electricity prices, other alternatives will have to be tried instead of coal based thermal power plants.

Thus, the entire power generation scenario also needs to be changed to facilitate the growth of electric cars.

In this context, it is heartening to note that India is on track to become one of the world's largest solar and energy storage markets by 2025.

The combination of solar powered grid solutions will ensure adequate charging infrastructure as a green option.

Building a closed-loop mobility ecosystem: Providing manufacturing subsidies for the electric supply chain will definitely improve the growth scenario of electric vehicles in India.

Along with charging infrastructure, there will also be a need to establish a strong supply chain.

Additionally, battery recycling stations will need to recover metals (which are used for electrification) from the batteries, creating a 'closed-loop'.

It may be noted that Chinese and South Korean companies are the largest suppliers of lithium-based EV batteries. In such a situation, a new global system may emerge to replace the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

India will need to plan to find its rightful place in this new ecosystem, including better charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing factories, and providing smart incentives to car companies and consumers to go electric.

Practice Question: 'Electric vehicles are the future of the transportation sector.' In the light of this statement, discuss the challenges and measures related to increasing the penetration of electric vehicles in the Indian market.