The eectric vehicle revolution is sweeping the world. India has to be ready.
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- The story: As the emergency of climate change struck home, the nations of the world woke up to the potential of electric vehicles. Suddenly, they are thronging the headlines. Tesla's owner became the richest man in the world, riding on the success of future expectations from his product.
- Blast from the past: On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz, a German engineer applied for and was granted patent number 37435 for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine”. In a few months, the commercial production of the Benz motor car started. This is by most accounts the beginning of commercially-produced vehicles using gas engines. But in 1880, a few years prior to Benz’s patent, William Morrison, a chemist in United States, made a six-seater electric vehicle.
- By 1900, electric cars accounted for over one-third of the vehicles sold in the US.
- The forward march of electric cars was stopped by the mass production of the very reasonably priced Ford automobile, owned by John Ford.
- A reasonably priced car along with the cheap prices of gasoline in the early 1900s meant that the world was ready for fossil fuel-dependent vehicles — cars and bikes — in the streets. The foundation for a polluted future were being laid.
- Industrialisation, fossil fuels, and more: Industrialisation closely followed the ability to move quickly between vast distances. With the dependence of humanity on fossil fuels, a new international power order emerged — countries that exported oil. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) comprises Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The dominant power or de facto leader of OPEC is Saudi Arabia, ruled by the House of Saud. In each of these countries. ruling oligarchies were enriched by the oil wealth that flowed in, while their people may not have quite benefitted.
- Waking up slowly: As the human species settled into fossil-fuel-based transportation, a late awareness emerged of how this nature of combustion engine contributes to polluting our planet.
- India has the dubious distinction of having nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the world. These nine cities, all in north India, include Greater Noida, Noida, Lucknow, and Delhi.
- While many factors contribute to the polluted air, skies and human lungs of northern India, vehicular pollution bears substantial responsibility.
- The Indian State is slowly but steadily encouraging electric vehicles. While in the 1900s, the electric vehicle (EV) lost out to fuel-based ones, that may not be the case anymore.
- What is an EV: An EV operates on an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine and has a battery instead of a fuel tank. In general, EVs have low running costs as they have fewer moving parts and are also environmentally friendly. In India, the fuel cost for an EV is approximately 80 paisa per kilometre. Contrast this with the cost of petrol which touched Rs 107 per litre in Delhi (October 2021), or Rs 7-8 per kilometre to operate a petrol-based vehicle. Perhaps the consistent increase in fuel prices in the real state plan to encourage all of us Indians to switch to electric vehicles!
- Indian plans: In 2013, the Government of India formulated the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan that committed to ensuring that by 2030, at least 30 per cent of vehicles on the streets would be electric. This deadline is unlikely to be met. The more recent Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme in 2019, committed to providing incentives in terms of subsidies and supporting technology to encourage the manufacturing and purchase of electric vehicles. With a budget of around $1.5 billion, FAME provides a mixture of road and registration tax subsidies for EV purchasers.
- The private sector has appreciated the inevitability of the dominance of the EV. Companies like Amazon, Swiggy, Zomato and Ikea are deploying EVs for deliveries.
- Car manufacturers like Mahindra are partnering with consumers like Ola, while Tata Motors is partnering with Blu Smart Mobility in moves that will ensure more EV delivery and ride-hailing services.
- The EV market in India is projected to reach $700 million in 2025, a dramatic jump from $71 million in 2017 — a 10-fold increase in under a decade.
- The challenges: The real challenge for the consumer is the lack of charging infrastructure in India. EVs are typically powered by lithium-based batteries. These need to be charged usually every 200-250 kilometres or so for a car. It takes up to 12 hours for a full charge of a vehicle at the owner’s home using a private light-duty slow charger. Slow charging at home is not a viable option.
- Summary: Old American car companies like General Motors and Ford are busy establishing factories that will make EV batteries. The largest suppliers of lithium-based EV batteries are reported to be the Chinese company — Contemporary Amperex Technology and the South Korean company LG. A new global order is emerging to replace OPEC. India must plan for its place in this order — with better-charging infrastructure, battery-making factories and smart incentives for car companies and consumers to go electric. India must have an uninterrupted electricity supply too.
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the various aspects of the tough task of ensuring independence of the Indian judiciary. (2) What is the Collegium system? How does it operate? Explain. (3) What was the solution proposed by Dr Ambedkar insofar as ensuring judicial independence was concerned? Explain.
#ElectricVehicles #Infrastructure #Charging #climatechange
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