We belong to an era in which
first electric vehicles were just a dream/fantasy idea, later it became a
theoretical concept, then first practical electric vehicles were launched and
now finally the government has decided to go with electric vehicles as the future
form of mobility by phasing out the production of petrol/diesel vehicles by the year
2030.
This article orients towards
breaking the myth behind the usage of electric vehicles, by briefing about the
challenges as well as benefits of using Electric Vehicles.
What are Electric Vehicles?
Why should we shift to Electric Vehicles?
We all know that crude oil from which petrol
and diesel are extracted is a limited resource in the world. As per the reports
of OPEC in 2020, we have 1.3 trillion barrel capacity of oil reserves. We are
extracting crude oil at a capacity of 30 billion barrels a year. This means we
will run out of crude oil in the next 50 years.
This raises an alarming situation
that we just have to move on towards an alternate everlasting source of fuels
for our vehicles. Such a quest resulted in Electricity as a fuel solution.
Everyone is aware of the use and effectiveness of electricity and it can be
generated without fossil fuels too.
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP-2020)
The Government of India launched
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan in the year 2013. This laid the foundation for the Electric Vehicle market in India. The main objective of this mission was to achieve fuel security
for the nation by replacing petrol and diesel vehicles with Electric Vehicles
along with a reduction in environmental impacts on the environment.
The Government has targeted a
sale of 6 – 7 million Electric or Hybrid Vehicles by the year 2020. Under
NEMMP- 2020, the government has rolled out another scheme called “Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME
India) scheme” to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle
technology.
In 2017, Transport Ministry announced
that India has intended to move towards 100% electric mobility within the year
2030.
Steps taken to promote Electric Vehicles
- GST rates on Electric Vehicles have been reduced from 12% to 5%
- Income Tax reduction up to 1.5 lakh for the loan amount taken for purchasing E-Vehicles
- Huge Investment on Infrastructure development like EV Charging facilities for public usage
- Incentives for E-Vehicle Manufacturers for economic support until the EV market reaches a self-sustaining stage
Electric Vehicles Myth Vs Reality
There are certain myths around
the society about E-vehicles, which makes the new customers avoid E-Vehicles.
Let us see the truth behind them.
Myth 1: Even If we switch to
E-Vehicles, the pollution level does not fall off because Electricity comes
from coal-based power plants
Truth: Out of 100% of
the total energy generation in India, only 62.2% is based on thermal power
plants, the remaining energy generation comprises of 23.6% renewable energy,
12.6% hydropower and 1.8% nuclear power. Since the introduction of the National Solar
Mission, renewable energy has been at a steady increase. Soon Renewable Energy
may exceed Thermal Power, thus reducing impacts on the environment.
Myth 2: Electric Vehicles may not be
able to cover a longer distance range. What if the battery drains midway?
Truth: There are
Electric Vehicles available in the market, which can cover a minimum range of 100
– 150 kms for a single Charge. Moreover, not usually everyone travels more than
this distance every day. Even If it drains away, as we have already seen, our
government has started investing heavily in Public E-Vehicle Charging
facilities like petrol bunks. Soon we may have E-Vehicle Charging facilities
available to the public.
Myth 3: Batteries from Electric cars
will create a recycling problem
Truth: Electric cars
use Lithium-Ion batteries instead of Lead Acid batteries, which will last long
and can be recycled effectively
Myth 4: If everyone switches to
Electric Cars, the Electric grid may collapse
Truth: There is no need
for additional development of Electric grids as the nighttime/ off-peak, the capacity of the grid alone itself is enough to charge EVs. EV charging
infrastructure is a power socket in-home and usually, everyone will charge the
EV during nighttime because of its usage during the day.
Advantages of Using Electric Vehicles
- Fuel cost savings as electricity is much cheaper compared to conventional fuels like petrol and diesel
- Reduction of vehicular emissions, thus resulting in better air quality and environment
- Electric Vehicles are energy independent if we have our own solar PV system to charge vehicle
- Lower Maintenance cost
- Highly Energy efficient as Electric Vehicles have a conversion efficiency of 80%, while Internal Combustion Engines have a conversion efficiency of only 35%
Limitations of Using Electric Vehicles
- Charging time is high compared to the refilling of fuels
- The driving range is limited and it will be a particular issue for long-distance trips as we have to halt at regular intervals for charging
- Public EV Charging stations will be limited as we travel for rural trips. However, the case may soon take a turn because of governments huge interest and investment
Additional Information
- The Chief Minister of Delhi Shri. Arvind Kejriwal announced the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy on 7th August 2020. The objective of this policy was to raise the number of Electric Vehicle users by 25% in the National Capital Region, which is currently 0.29%.
- He also has announced financial incentives for promoting the sale of E-Vehicles by waiving of Registration fees, Road tax for new E-Vehicles, 1.5 Lakhs Rupees subsidy for purchasing Electric cars and 30 Thousand Rupees subsidy for purchasing Electric bikes, auto-rickshaws, and freight vehicles
- Some of the latest best electric cars can be checked at Latest Electric Cars - 2020
- Some of the latest best electric bikes can be checked at Latest Electric Bikes - 2020
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