Souping Up The Electric Vehicle Segment In India

Prof. P Bharani Chandra Jul 07, 2022

According to the WHO reports, India has one of the worst air qualities in the world. A major cause of this is the increase in the number of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that are dependent on non-renewable resources for fuel and are the greatest emitters of greenhouse gases. In fact, India is one of the largest car markets globally, where most of the vehicles use diesel or petrol as fuel. Fortunately, an effective remedy that has been known to us for some time is electric vehicles (EVs).

Making the move from conventional to electric vehicles is the need of the hour and is also necessary if India is to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2070. In fact, by 2024, India is supposed to complete this big move and go electrical. However, there seems to be an unexpected glitch in the plan. There has been a lack of enthusiasm from the side of the public- even those who can afford to make this change (despite many subsidies by the Indian government, the cost of EVs is one of the major concerns)- to trade their conventional vehicles for electric ones. Apart from the cost of purchase, there is also the cost of maintenance. Like expensive batteries, which need to be replaced every five years are an additional burden on customers. In case of repairs, not many servicing centres or expert mechanics are currently available in India for EVs. The majority of the batteries required for the EVs are being imported, and there is a need to develop research centres and manufacturing units of batteries for EVs in India. Further, battery charging stations or battery swapping centres are limited in India - due to which many EVs customers have range anxiety.

Last year, in august, OLA launched its e-scooter and it was an incredibly substantial move for popularising EVs in India, however, since its launch, there have been several customer complaints and mishaps have been reported. The hesitancy and fear in taking up EVs therefore is not completely unfounded when their safety and security is in question. The primary concerns that need immediate attention for the next few years by researchers and EV manufacturers in India include; a reduction in the overall EV cost, development of charging infrastructure and a decrease in Lithium and electronics spares import. India needs to focus on developing charging stations based on renewable energy sources in the long run.

The overall EV cost mainly depends on the cost of lithium batteries; on average, the battery constitutes 30-40 percent of the total vehicle cost. For example, TATA Nexon EV costs around Rs. 16 lakh – wherein its battery is around Rs. 5 lakh. As per the research study by MIT, there has been a significant reduction in battery cost by 97 percent in the last three decades. But still, the EV cost is way more for a common man in India. There is a need to emphasise the indigenous development of battery manufacturing units – with a focus on reliable and economical EV batteries.

The Indian government is strategically promoting an ecosystem for affordable charging stations. However, to cater to the need for EVs, India needs to establish more and more fast-charging stations in the next five years. Public sector units (PSUs) are also taking good initiatives to develop charging infrastructure for growing EV demand. The big question is, how are we charging our EV batteries? If we still use non-renewable sources to produce electricity for charging the batteries, then the whole purpose of EVs to reduce carbon emissions and pollution will go in vain. An alternative solution is to use renewable energy (solar) based charging stations, which rooftop solar panels can power.

Most of the sensors and actuators required for the EVs are also imported. There is a huge need for electrical and electronics engineering students and engineers to enhance their skills to develop indigenous spares for EVs. Further, the government needs to promote EV start-ups by providing economic support through various subsidies. There is a greater need for academia-industry collaboration to offer sustainable solutions for battery production, sensors, and actuator manufacturing, and other development aspects of EVs.