If you haven’t caught hold of the FICCI-Rocky Mountain Institute report on ‘Enabling India’s Transition to Electric Mobility,’ you must!
This report reveals how the country could save up to Rs 20 lakh crore ($330 billion) by 2030 on oil imports and become a leader in EV (electric vehicle) technology, saving over 876 million metric tons of oil and one giga-tonne of carbon-dioxide emissions by 2030.
This vision can only be realised when the general public opts to make a conscious shift to the electric vehicle grid. While it is common to see electric rickshaws plying on the roads across the states in India, electric cars only make for less than 1% of the vehicles on Indian roads as compared to the conventional vehicles.
What are electric vehicles?
Unlike conventional vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel-powered engine, electric cars run at least partially on electricity. But not all electric vehicles use the same working mechanism.
While plug-in hybrids offer both a gasoline or diesel engine and an electric motor powered by a battery that can be recharged by plugging in, battery electric vehicles avoid recourse to any liquid fuels and operate solely on electricity. Fuel cell electric vehicles convert hydrogen gas into electricity to power an electric motor and battery.
Here’s why your next car could be an electric car!
Environmental benefits:
A shift to electric cars could be one of the many keys to combat global warming. While vehicles running on non-renewable fossil fuels like petrol and diesel emit hazardous and life-threatening greenhouse gases, increasing air pollution and soaring temperatures, electric vehicles are considered cleaner depending on the type of vehicle and the source of the electricity it uses. For example, some battery electric vehicles which derive energy from sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, or hydropower have zero CO2 emissions.
But even when the power is generated using fossil fuels, electric vehicles usually, compared to gasoline vehicles, show significant reductions in overall well-wheel global carbon emissions. Also, most electric cars allow you to drive almost soundlessly, so no noise pollution!
Save medical bills
If you’ve had trouble breathing during the Delhi Smog, you’d know what I am talking about! Shifting to electric cars will lead to lower emissions, which in turn will lower air pollution, and better air quality. Better air quality will lessen the probability of illnesses, like asthma, heart diseases, and in extreme cases, cancer. Imagine saving time, energy and money on medical bills and investing the same in greener cars instead.
Cost-effective
Though electric cars are expensive than the existing fuel-guzzlers, it is cost-effective in the long run. Calculate the amount of money you spend on fuel, the maintenance charges you pay and the repair costs for accidental bumps and dents! Electric cars don’t require much maintenance and run on electricity which is a lot cheaper than fuel.
Needs of the ecosystem:
Bringing down the cost of e-vehicles to make them affordable in the long run is important.
Charging points at spaces like the workplace, railway stations, shopping centres, hotels, cinema etc. will become the need of the hour; once more citizens make the shift to electric cars.
Most electric cars can be recharged to 80 percent in about 30 minutes and have a lower range as compared to petrol or diesel cars. Therefore, there is a need to for rapid chargers along long-distance routes and refilling stations, that can take lesser time.
Another way to save time is making battery swapping accessible to extend the limited range of electric vehicles. Under this, an electric car can go to a battery switch station and swap a depleted battery with a fully charged one, all in a matter of a few minutes. Consumer awareness to make this switch is also an important step.
Read more: How Volunteer Teachers are Bringing Electricity to a Small Mountain School in J&K
What are the companies that manufacture electric cars and the average price of electric cars in India?
While fully electric cars in in India include Mahindra e2o Plus (₹ 5.46 to ₹8.46 lakhs) and Mahindra e-Verito (₹ 9.50 lakh – ₹ 10 lakh), hybrid cars include Toyota Prius (Price Range: ₹ 38.10 lakh – ₹ 39.80 lakh), Toyota Camry Hybrid (₹31.98 lakhs), BMW i8, Mahindra Scorpio Micro Hybrid(₹ 9-₹12 lakhs), Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Diesel SHVS(₹ 8.23 lakh – ₹ 10.17 lakh) and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Diesel SHVS (~₹9 lakhs).
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