Waste management will be a problem for e-vehicle market

EVs not the only alternative to fossil fuels

By Hamsaveni N

Increasedelectric vehicles

(EV) sales have brought forth the challenges of the availability of charging stations and management of e-waste generated by EVs.

Government initiatives and a major push towards EVs have been successful going by sales which reached the one million mark by the end of 2022. According to data from the government’s E-Vahan website, 1,003,000 EVs were registered until December 31, 2022.

But the worry is that the government still lags in constructing adequate infrastructure for EV- charging stations and battery-swapping facilities.

A research report by Lexology, a law business research platform on e-vehicles and their alignment with environmental laws in India, says the EV lithium-ion battery, which contains chemicals like cobalt, graphite and nickel, is hazardous to human health and the environment. Expired lithium-ion batteries need to be disposed of carefully. India is unprepared to handle the

Quiz

1. Which famous Hockey player has written the book Golden Hat trick?

2. Hockey matches in the Olympics were organized for the first time on Astro turf at?

3. Which institution will be provided a grant of Rs 242 Crore to undertake research on Lab Grown Diamonds?

4. What is the name of the first Indian space mission to observe the Sun?

5. How many teachers and support staff are to be recruited in the next 3 years, for 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools?

6. What will be the global Hub for Millets?

7. What is the new MSME scheme announced in the Union Budget 2023?

8. What is the name of the nodal national entity set up under the Department of Space, to regulate Indian industry in space sector?

9. A drug named ‘Inmazeb’ has been approved as the first drug for treating which disease?

10. What is the name of the earth observation satellite to be launched by ISRO aboard PSLV-C49?

11. Which country issued a notice to Pakistan seeking modification of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)?

Answers on Page 4 growing sales of EV batteries. Recycling lithium-ion batteries helps harvest cobalt and lithium in them.

The E-waste Management Amendment Rules, 2018, lack comprehensive guidelines regarding the proper and safe disposal of batteries.

Megha Paul, consultant, Global Green Institute, said: “If we look at all the policies that the government is implementing on EV-charging infrastructure, the main problem we observe is that we don’t have sufficient market penetration in order to set up charging stations viable in all parts of the city…. We can’t set up charging stations everywhere and expect developers to go along with it, so it all depends on location and sales. The government should ensure that the business models are viable for developers.”

Chaya V, an EV user, informed The Observer: “I recently started using an e-vehicle. Charging vehicles in my home is sufficient as of now, but if my family decides to shift to EVs, then the need for charging facilities will increase. I have heard about the city getting EV-charging stations and battery-swapping stations soon,

Citizen’s Voice

Care for existing trees, do not plant saplings

but I don’t see any work here.”

Jayantha JD, an EV user from Chikkaballapur district, said: “There are no charging stations in my place. It’s been just six months since I am using an EV. I charge my vehicle from home. I also see a rapid shift to EVs and the need for stations increasing. Proper charging points, policies on buying on selling EVs, high-standard batteries and safety measures will encourage more people to choose EVs.”

Paul explained: “A battery can’t be used if its efficiency reduces below 70 per cent. The government is focusing on recycling batteries…I wonder why the government is not speaking anything regarding battery recycling centres for theese vehicles. I think the main reason is we don’t have that great a market yet and E-Vehicles alone are not the final option to replace petrol and diesel (vehicles).”

Prathima B, professor of environmental engineering, BMS College of Engineering, said: “It’s true that EV sales are increasing at a fast rate. This forecast should be done in the first go. We should have exclusive policies on handling batteries and the precautionary measures (to be taken) because they are very hazardous.Hydrogen is one such solution which we can explore more.” hamsaveni.n@iijnm.org

Instead of pressuring people to plant more trees as a solution to the massive cutting down of trees, the government should focus on improving the quality of the existing trees and protect them by taking care of their health. Chopping down trees and planting new saplings to balance the loss is illogical, and not sustainable. The government needs to find better alternatives and think about our environment.

Vijay Nishanth

Hostel kitchens must also be inspected

It is not just the restaurants that have to be inspected by the health department for safety standards. Hostel kitchens must also be inspected to make sure that the hygiene standards are met. Recently, over a hundred students fell ill in Mangaluru possibly due to food poisoning. It is high time that we took this matter seriously.

Arsha B.S.

Education is a good way to curb child marriages

What kind of crackdown on child marriages has the Assam government done? Putting people in jail is not the solution. Promoting education in under-privileged sections of society is more important, Because even after the men have been arrested, their wives are protesting as they are depended on the spouses. The women, due to lack of education, still think that there is nothing wrong with child marriages.

Yukta Mudgal