Is India Ready To Enter The EV Module Of Driving? Challenges At Hand

Pritesh Mahajan Dec 07, 2022

Electric vehicles are quickly growing to become the next big thing in the transportation and automobile sector. India especially has been observing a noticeable shift as more and more consumers opt to go for EVs compared to traditional petrol-based vehicles.

However, as startups and industry pioneers continue to fuel this demand with consistent innovation in every aspect right from product design to batteries and the on-road experience, there is a big gap for India to cover when it comes to entering into a complete EV mode of driving.

Performance and Power - the beginning of a sustainable revolution

While most automobile companies are focused on delivering models that cater to green mobility, it is equally important for them to undertake the everyday need of a regular rider/driver. Naturally, EV models right now do not match the power and on-road performance of petrol-based vehicles. Having said that, the gradual rise in technological advancements and innovations is certainly going to be the driving force towards attaining a seamless shift in the decarbonization of mobility.

The need for diversified EV Infrastructure

India is the fifth largest car market in the world and has the potential to become one of the top three in the near future — with about 40 crore customers in need of mobility solutions by the year 2030. Considering this immense market for EVs, if there is one thing that goes unsaid is the urgency of developing a great EV infrastructure. This not only includes good roads but also easily accessible electric charging stations with multiple fuel alternatives and a systematic e-waste management system.

As petrol and diesel get replaced with safer options, the country still requires alternatives within the eco-friendly fuel sector. This includes solar-based EV chargers, bio-fuel (ethanol and compressed biogas) including flex-fuel vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) apart from battery-induced EVs. These alternatives can be used for different vehicle options.

Additionally, We also require more walkways, spaces that cater to bicycle riding and parking and promote more non-fuel modes of transportation for shorter distances.

Adoption of Shared Mobility

The enormous demand for vehicles in India looks promising for automobile-building companies but when one looks at it from the perspective of establishing a sustainable environment, the demand starts to become a concern. It is hence extremely important for a country like India to adopt strategies toward shared mobility to reduce collective carbon emissions. Many cities in India have started to introduce Electric Busses that facilitate sustainable public transportation. In order to accelerate this, the country needs to aggressively promote shared mobility through electric cabs, two-wheelers and rented vehicles as well.

Economical Price Points

One of the most important driving forces towards becoming an EV-powered nation is ensuring there is an efficient and economical price point on all-electric vehicles. The Government Of India has launched many incentives and has a low tax rate on the purchase of EVs to encourage more people to switch to EV models. Even then, the price points can be brought down to excite the masses essentially located in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. It is only when the option to switch to an equally better option while contributing towards the environment, the end goal of this revolution will be fully addressed.

Overall, the growth of EVs in India is applaudable and the country is witnessing a rise in startups and innovations across the automobile industry. The government’s support towards making this a daily reality has boosted EV sales immensely but there is no denial in the fact that establishing a complete EV takeover is not happening anytime soon. There is still a lot of work to be done in order to overcome the essential challenges that lie ahead of the industry and India is expected to be completely ready for this in the coming decade.