Earth Day 2022: Step towards Electric Vehicles

Earth Day has been celebrated every year on April 22. This year theme of Earth Day is ‘Invest in our Planet’- a planet that seeks urgent action from entire humanity to save it! Already lot of talks have been going on about finding various ways to save our Mother Earth and reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions to keep global temperature below 1.5°C.

April 22, 2022. By Manu Tayal

Earth Day has been celebrated every year on April 22, starting from 1970. This year the theme of Earth Day is ‘Invest in our Planet’- a planet that seeks urgent action from the entire humanity to save it! Already lot of talks have been going on about finding various ways to save our Mother Earth and reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global temperature below 1.5°C. There’re various sectors that need major attention at this point of time in order to cut carbon emissions. One such major sector is transportation, which is one of the biggest carbon emitters globally. The Indian government has taken several steps in order to promote electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. This is the time to assess the readiness of Indian cities for the adoption of EVs. As per the policy think tank TERI, Indian cities have tremendous potential to accelerate EV adoption through innovation and efficient decentralized mechanisms for collaboration with multiple stakeholders, however, the impact of city-level actions has been relatively under-explored.

While discussing more on the need for EV adoption in the country, Sharif Qamar, Fellow and Area Convenor, Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI, said “the central and state governments have provided an important policy, regulatory and innovation platforms for a healthy EV ecosystem. It is now time to focus on cities and empower them to be EV-Ready. It is important that capacity needs of cities identified and addressed. These would include aspects such as multi-stakeholder partnerships, fiscal incentives, interdepartmental coordination, local level innovations, technological upgradation, building trust through EV awareness campaigns, and learning from international best practices.”

Agreeing with Mr. Qamar, Akshima Ghate, MD, RMI India, explained with data that “India is projected to be the third-largest car market by 2030. Relative to equivalent ICE vehicles, an electric vehicle (EV) emits zero particulate matter (PM) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) pollution, and nearly 25% less Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Adopting EVs, which have zero tailpipe emissions, can significantly improve air quality, as well as help us reach net zero by 2070 as promised by PM Modi at COP26.”

She also added that “the government, both at the state and central levels, has been proactively involved in the transition towards e-mobility. Platforms and campaigns like Shoonya and Switch Delhi—of which RMI India is a partner—have not only enhanced stakeholder participation in the process of electrification of transport, but have also increased public awareness on the pivotal role that EVs will play in India’s path towards a clean energy future.”

On the other hand, Sivasubramaniam Jayaraman, National Lead, Transport System and Electric Vehicles, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), recommended for long-term vision and explained “We are in a new phase of mobility right now where we have an opportunity to undo the mistakes we did with transport planning in the past. EV Transition needs to be paved with a vision to create a sustainable road map for the future.”

He further added that “the transport sector is the fourth largest contributor to GHG emissions in India. Electrification of the transport sector is the key to achieving India’s COP26 commitment to cut its emissions to net-zero by 2070.”

“Vehicle electrification can cut vehicle energy use and CO2 emissions. However, for electrification to have maximum benefits, power generation must be strongly shifted away from fossil fuels and deeply decarbonized,” Jayaraman added.

He also pointed out that “the uptake of electric vehicles has been inhibited by several factors, including limited driving range, higher vehicle purchase cost, greater time to charge an electric battery, and a lack of public charging stations.”

On the government support for the public sector to transition towards electrification, Jayaraman added that “when it comes to electrifying public transport state-owned bus corporations are taking baby steps to expand their fleets of electric buses and with the right government, interventions can help to quickly decarbonise public transport. Overall the technology and market outlook for EVs appears promising in India and has a huge potential.”

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Sustainable Transport