Do we need EVs or do EVs need us?

India is among top five fastest growing economy with an aim to become $5 trillion economy till 2025. This is boosting each and every sector to reach the target. Tax rate down, Make in India campaign and various initiatives are taken to reach the target.  But what about EVs sector, are we doing enough to boost the sector? In 2018, according to statistics, around 4.4 million motor vehicles sold in the country, and 56,000 EVs sold in same year.  So by analysing this data my mind asked me, do we need EVs or do EVs need us?

Why we need EVs? In recent years, India has emerged as the most polluted countries in the world, in top 10 most polluted cities, we have seven cities of ours. In this list one of our competitor is our neighbor Pakistan which has 2 cities, here also we are far ahead of them. Winter season is coming up and again we will see Delhi as gas chamber. As per the Source Apportionment study carried out by IIT Kanpur, transport sector contributes 20 per cent towards air pollution in Delhi. It is expected that till 2022 transport will produce 346 TMT of CO2. Not only about pollution, we are importing 80 per cent of our oil, and we have spent $111.9 billion according PPAC report in 2018.  Our aims are high but our efforts are very low. If we focus more on EVs, not only it will reduce air pollution but also our oil import will also reduce.

Why EVs need us? This is a crucial question, whenever we talk about EVs in India; we talk about lack of infrastructure, battery manufacturing issues, affordability issues, more charging time etc. but if we look around are these problems seems to be real issue? I don’t think so; let’s talk about two main issues affordability and more charging time.  According to the IJSR’s 2016 report, Saving and Lifestyle of Young Indians, 22 per cent males and eight per cent females go to cafes and restaurants every day, 24 per cent males and 38 per cent females once in a week. These numbers are of 2016 and now in 2019 these must have increase. We talk about affordability in a country whose per capita income is increasing year by year. We have affordability, but we are investing our money and time in wrong way. We should invest on nature, EVs instead off so much on food, movies, internet and other entertainments. As per Deloitte mobile consumer survey 2016 report we spent two and a half hours in a day on Internet browsing.  Now, this must have increased to nearly five hours in a day and then we talk about charging time of EVs. On an average, a seven-KWh charger can add 30 miles distance for an hour charging in small EVs. So we can make use of our entertainment time during EV charging.  So it’s not affordability, charging time or infrastructure due to which we are lacking behind in EVs but also the priority and neglecting attitude towards motherland environment which resisting us adopting EVs.

So, “We need EVs” is more important part but it cannot possible without “EVs need us”. It’s time to pay back to our nature, we already exploited it and if we will play with nature and nature will play around us.

About Author

Vijay Kumar is currently pursuing PGDM in Energy Management from NTPC School of Business.  He has completed his graduation in electrical engineering from ABES Engineering College. He has an experience of 10 months in automobile industry and has interest in electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha