Why Becoming An EV Owner Can Make You Anxious?

Pollution and the environment have become a matter of concern nowadays, to tackle it many countries are trying to solve this problem in every possible way. One of the ways is to control the emission of carbon from petroleum vehicles and another is to switch them by using electronic cars. But you must have observed the incidents happening with electronic vehicles (EVs). Recently two electronic scooters caught on fire in Hyderabad on 15 Aug. EVs can be a substitute for petroleum cars but are they safe? Due to these incidents, consumers have become reluctant to buy EVs. This incident happened when T Haribabu had left both the scooter charging at his house. Around 5 pm he heard the sound of the blast and came out to see what has happened but found he both the EVs were on fire.

Taking note of this issue and to safeguard the consumer the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) announced the implementation of additional safety norms for the existing fires that left safety in danger. The government created a committee of experts to look into the matter. On the recommendations of the report, MoRTH has amended AIS156 for the safety of two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and four-wheelers. These amendments will be in effect by 1 Oct 2022. Ministry has also released the draft notification GSR 659(E) dated 25 Aug 22, to amend Sub-rule 4 of 124 of Central Motor Vehicles Rule 1989, mandating Conformity of Production for traction batteries used in EV. 

The expert committee was chaired by Tata Narsingh Rao, who is Director of ARC, Hyderabad, and Shri M.K.Jain Scientist at DRDO along with 5 other members. The recommendations will focus on battery cells, the design of battery packs, BMS, and onboard chargers. 

"As an EV OEM committed to increasing EV adoption and safety, we at Etrio welcome the recently-notified regulatory amendments and battery norms suggested by the Ministry of Road Transport, Government of India. The additional safety requirements for battery cells, battery packs, BMS, etc., when implemented, can greatly help the OEMs win the confidence of EV end-users by rolling out robust and safe vehicles. Safety standards such as these are extremely important in not only saving lives and minimizing fleet asset damage but also play a pivotal role in making the public feel safe in switching to electric vehicles." said Kalyan C Korimerla, Managing Director, Etrio Automobiles

Due to this amendment, Ola has recalled its 1,441 units of the electric two-wheeler. Okinawa may recall its 3,215 units of electric two-wheeler and Pure EV also recalled its 2,000 units of EVs.

There is some anxiety also among the buyers and owners of EVs, what if they didn’t reach their destination? How they will charge the car in between the journey? EVs are cheap in travel for a long but to an extent because what if your EV gets discharged then there are fewer charging stations and you may only find them in a proper city. Also, you may have to wait for your turn to charge your car and that will consume time a lot.

Buying an EV car is a big investment as they are at least 20 to 30 percent more expensive than a normal car. The government is also emphasising buying Electric Vehicles (EVs) and projecting them are the future. Many companies are manufacturing EVs and investing in the EV market.

According to some reports, there are only 1750 working charging station across the country with 10 lakh EVs on roads, showing one charging station has the responsibility of charging 500 vehicles whereas a normal EV take 45 mins to two hours to get fully charged. Also, home wiring in Indian homes is not so feasible for doing fast charging of EVs, for setting up a fast charging set up at home may cost a heavy amount.

Another reason buyers and owners have in their mind is petrol car has fewer maintenance costs than an EV in the long run because an EV battery will take out 6 to 7 lakhs from your pocket to change your battery and consumer don’t know how long their battery will work. 

“Based on our unique heritage and commitment to sustainable mobility, Volvo Cars has brought the all-electric XC40 Recharge and also has committed to bring one electric vehicle every year for the savvy Indian market. What we do today is based on our long-term thinking for the future of mobility solutions. By 2030, Volvo Cars will be an all-electric company. On the World EV day let us join the movement to a future which is electric so as to offer sustainable e-mobility solutions to all” said Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director, Volvo Car India, in an interview.

However, there can be solutions to this anxiety of buyers and owners. Battery swapping can be an option to tackle the issue but it may only work when every car companies will use a universal battery. Good infrastructure will be required to charge the vehicles soon, having very enough space, and companies are required to set up charging stations across the country. Companies are trying to make more efficient batteries.