Electric Cars in India: A Glimpse

Recently government of India announced its vision of introducing electric vehicles on Indian roads by 2030 and stop the driving of vehicles running of fossil fuels till 2029 in small phases. After which couple of months of back the state owned organization Energy Efficiency Services Limited invited bids for supplying 10,000 electric cars to encourage the use of electric vehicles in government departments. The order of supplying these vehicles was given to domestic car maker Tata Motors which placed the bid with the least amount as compared to other bidders. However along with Tata Motors one more home grown car maker Mahindra and Mahindra was also asked to supply the fleet of 500 electric vehicles among these 10,000 vehicles. It is reported that the government has also authorized EESL to release the tenders for outsourcing e-rickshaws and e-autos for encouraging the use of electric vehicles by masses. rnNow with all these endeavors by the government towards the adaptation of electric vehicles within the country, but will these efforts succeed in strengthening the roots of electric vehicles in the country. As according to the experts the policy makers determining the policy for introduction of electric vehicles will have to think seriously towards the impact of such moves. Because introduction of electric vehicles will equally create a big disturbance in the ecosystem of the vehicles that are enriched with internal combustion engines and used for various tasks. Only Electrification: Not much back but almost three months back in the month of September this year Road and Transport Minister, Government of India, honorable Nitin Gadkari, strictly addressed the auto makers for shifting to manufacturing of vehicles that run on alternate sources of petrol and diesel. Addressing to the annual conference of auto industry held during the month of September, Mr. Gadkari said, the auto manufacturers have no to adapt the policy of eco-friendly vehicles whether they like it or not. rnThe need of implementing the policy for use of electric vehicles has come after the report of World Health Organization published last year, according to which six Indian cities including the national capital New Delhi are the highly polluted cities among fifteen cities throughout the world. On the other side with implementation of Goods and Service Tax the electric vehicles are taxed at 12% whereas hybrid vehicles are taxed at 43% as compared to 28% tax on petrol and diesel vehicles. Along with this the government is also speculating to offer zero import duties on electric cars. Move is quite faster: Considering the existing scenario there are lots of car manufacturers who think that government is approaching towards its mission at high speed which could be disappointing in coming years. As according to them the government should adopt a moderate policy towards the objective of encouraging the use of electric vehicles by 2030. Recently home grown car maker Mahindra and Mahindra has signed a treaty with US based car maker Ford Motors to support each other in understanding the changing scenario and strengthen each other’s production efficiencies. It is reported that M&M is going to outsource the platform of Ford Motors for developing its upcoming electric sedan. In return of this platform M&M will share its technology of manufacturing electric vehicles to Ford Motors for developing its entry level vehicles like Figo and Aspire. Challenges in front of the government: 1.Lack of charging infrastructure. 2.Absence of facilities for manufacturing batteries. 3.Lack of willingness among the car enthusiasts towards electric vehicles due to less power generation efficiencies. Apart from this lack of clear policy by the government towards the manufacturing of electric vehicles are some challenges with which the government of India will have to combat for encouraging the use of electric vehicles within the country by 2030.