STATUSOFELECTRICVEHICLESININDIA
TanyaBhatia,NidhiArora,ShreyaSharma 1AssistantProfessorinDelhiUniversity
2AssistantProfessorFacultyofArts,ParulUniversity,Gujarat 3ResearchScholar
ABSTRACT
Theautomobileindustryhasshiftedtoelectricallydrivenvehiclesasaresultoftheharmthatgasolineenginesdototheenvironmentandtohumans.Thisdocument discussesexplainshowanelectriccaroperatesandcontrastsitwithhybridvehiclesandinternalcombustionengines.Thedocumentoutlinesafewofthebenefitsand drawbacksoftheelectriccar Abrieflookintothetechnology'sfutureisalsoprovidedTheelectricvehiclesmarketinIndiaappearstobegoingtraction.Companies havenotonlystartedtomanufactureelectricscootersandbikesinstateslikeUttarPardesh,buthavealsobeguntoresearchforalternativestolithium-ionbatteries, whicharemostlyimportedfromChina.Recently,EVmajorTeslahasannouncedthattheyaregoingtostartitsIndiaoperationsoon.
Vehicleownershipisincreasingrapidlyinourcountry In2001,57peopleoutof 1000wereacarownerandtodaythisnumberhasreached197andmostlythere were fossil-fuel vehicles. India is the 5th largest manufacturer of cars in the world.So,wecanseethatalotofpotentialsispresenthereiffossilfuelvehicles are to be replaced.And the Indian government has also set a goal for the year 2030toreplace80%oftwoandthree-wheelers,40%ofbuses,and30to70%of cars in India, says the NITI Aayog. As the nation gears towards its 'Zeroemission' 2070 dream, funds and focus are directed towards electric mobility Andthisaimhasaverybigmonetaryvalue.By2030,morethan100millionpeople would buy an EV having a monetary value of more than 200 billion USD. India annually imports around Rs.8 lakh crore worth of crude oil. This is expectedtodoubleinthenext4-5years.Fossilfuelsareanon-renewableenergy sourceandaregettingdepletedatahighrate.Whileatit,theyarealsodepleting the environment. From choking air quality to extreme weather conditions, we havebeenbearingthebruntofourextensivedependencyonfossilfuel.Tobattle climatechange,Indiatoohasbeenfocusingonalternativeandefficientenergy sources,likeitsglobalcounterparts.
InMarch2022,MinisterforRoadTransportandHighways,NitinGadkarimentioned in the Parliament that between 2019-20 and 2020-21, the two-wheeler EVsroseby422%,three-wheelersby75%andfour-wheelersupby230%.The numberofelectricbusesalsoincreasedbyover1200%.
So,thetargetsetfor2030looksveryambitious.Butthegovernmentcannotdo everything,youandthebrandswouldhavetoworkforthis.TheIndianGovernmentwantsTeslatosetupthefactorieshere,manufacturethecarshereandthen sellbutElonMuskwantstosellcarsbyimportingthemfromothercountries.The governmentevenproposedTeslaofimportingonlypartsofthecarandassemblingthemhere.ButElonMuskisunturned.Hewantstosellreadymadecarsin India.Andonthis,theIndiangovernmentiscollectinghugeduty Thisisareason forconflictbetweenthetwo.So,thiswaythestoryofaforeignbrandthatwants torunitsbusinessherebutisstruckintaxes.Now,Teslaisaforeignbrand,what aretheIndianbrandsdoing?ThefirstIndiannameforEVsisOLAElectricwhich issettingupafuturefactoryinTamilNadu.Thisfactorywouldhavemorethan 3000robots,aforestlargerthan500acres,thiswouldbeacarbon-negativefactorywhichwouldbethemostsustainableoneandthiswouldbethelargesttwowheeler factory in the world. They claim that this factory would manufacture morethan10000vehicleseveryyear Andrecentlytheyhaveearnedfundingof 100milliondollarsforthisproject.So,wewereusedtotheircabsbutnowpeople wouldusetheirscooters.ApartfromOLAElectricotherbrandsarealsoemerging.AtharEnergyisoneamongthemwhichisgettingverypopularinthetwowheelerEVsegment.AlongwiththeseHero,Revoltmotors,MagentaEVhave also got funding of 15-30 million dollars and if we look at 3 wheelers and 4 wheelersthenHyundai,Mahindra,AshokLeylandhavealsogotfundingof200400MillionUSD.So,bylookingatallthiswecansaythatthereishugehustle and bustle in the internal market. Huge investments are bring made and every brandisrampingupthemselveswithrespecttoEVs.
CHALLENGESFACEDBYINDIANMARKETS
Whilethesenumbersarepromising,India'sroadtoafullyelectricecosystemstill hasafewhurdles-Highcost,inadequateinfrastructure,lackofhighperforming EVs.
HIGHERCOST:Theelectricvariantsofthe2and4wheelersareoftenpriced muchhigherthanregularfueloptions.Thisisthemostimportantreasonforthe slowadoptionofelectricmobility Over60%ofconsumersbelievethatanEVis beyondtheirbudget.Boththeupfrontandmaintenancecostsburnaholeinthe customer'spockets.Themaintenancecostsarehighmainlyduetothelackofnecessary amenities. For example, theTata Nexon price starts from Rs. 7.19 lakh, whiletheTataNexonEVpricestartsfromRs.13.99lakh.ThishugepricedifferencediscouragesmanyinterestedEVbuyerstoshyawayfrommakingthefinal decisiontobuyaBEV
CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE: There are more than 65,000 petrol pumpsinIndiabutonly1640EV chargingstations.MostEVowners'resortto chargingtheirvehiclesattheirhomes.Thistoobecomesachallengeifthereisa powercrisisandifparkingspaceisshared.
IMPORTOFELECTRICVEHICLECOMPONENTS:Thelithium-ionbatteryisthemostpopularandwidelyusedenergysourceforEVs.Indiadoesn'tproducelithium.Thecountrydoesn'tproduceli-ionbatterieseither Indiarelieson importforEVbatteriesresultinginthesky-highpriceforthoseimportantcomponentsaneventuallytheEVsaswell.
LACKOFOPTIONS:Therearehundredsofoptionsifonewantstobuyconventional fuel powered car or two-wheeler.The case is completely different in EVsegment.Onlyafewoptionsarethereandmajorityamongthemarenotfrom established trustworthy brands. This drives the customers aways from buying EVs.
Intheyear2019,theIndiangovernmentapprovedtheFAMEIIscheme,inwhich thegovernmenthasproposedtoinvestaboutUSD1.4billiontoincentivizethe production of electric vehicles in the country However, FAME II policy also requires50%localizationinvehicleproductionisrequiredtoavailthisbenefit. TheIndianGovernmenttookanattempttopromoteelectricmobilityinthecountry via incentivizing and discounts for EVs. The terms and conditions of the FAMEschemedoesn'tsupportamajorityoftheelectricvehicles.Thelow-speed electric two-wheelers, lead-acid battery powered EVs are not covered under FAME.Thehighlyexpensivehigh-speedEVsontheotherhandrequireregistration charge, driving license.This results in many customers shying away from buying EVs.Therefore,most firms will not be ableto enjoy the benefitsof the FAMEIIincentive,whichconsequentlyimpactsthegrowthofbusinessopportunities.
Copyright©2023,IERJ.Thisopen-accessarticleispublishedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial4.0InternationalLicensewhichpermitsShare(copyandredistributethematerialinany mediumorformat)andAdapt(remix,transform,andbuilduponthematerial)undertheAttribution-NonCommercialterms.
TheEVsinIndiasofarhaveonlybeenvariantsofthealreadyavailablefossilfueldriven2and4wheelers.Highperformingluxuryvariantsorsupercarslike the Tesla are yet to hit the Indian markets. Hoping to convert more consumers intoElectricVehicleowners,thegovernmentisofferingsubsidiesforpurchasing electricvehicles.AtaxexemptionofRs.1.5lakhisalsogivenforpeoplebuying electriccarsonloan.TheGSTforthepurchaseofEVsissetatjust5%withzero cess.
Also, under two phases of the FAME or faster adoption and manufacturing of hybridandelectricvehiclesscheme,thegovernmenthasbeentryingtoimprove theinfrastructureforelectricvehiclemanufacturinginthecountry Thereisalso aplanfor22,000EVchargingstationstobesetupbyOilMarketingCompanies acrossthecountry
WHATHASHAPPENED?
Over the last few days, there have been at least four reported incidents of twowheeler electric vehicles – made by the likes of Ola, Okinawa and Pure EV abruptly bursting into flames, bringing to the fore safety issues related to such vehicles,especiallythebatteriesthatpowerthem.EVsarepoweredbylithiumionbatteries,ofthekindusedincellphonesandsmartwatches,whicharegenerallyconsideredtobeefficientandlightcomparedtotheircounterparts.However, theymayalsoposeafirerisk,asevidencedbytherecentincidents.
ABOUTLITHIUM-IONBATTERIES
From electric cars to smartphones to laptops, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are themostpopularbatterytypetoday,poweringmillionsofconsumerelectronics aroundtheworld.ALi-ionbatteryconsistsofananode,cathode,separator,electrolyte,andtwocurrentcollectors.Theanodeandcathodearewherethelithium is stored, while the electrolyte carries positively charged lithium ions from the anodetothecathodeandviceversathroughtheseparator Themovementofthe lithiumionscreatesfreeelectronsintheanode,whichcreatesachargeatthepositivecurrentcollector
ThekeythingsthatmakeaLi-ionbatterybetterthanotherkinds,andmoresuited forthingslikeelectriccarsandsmartphonesareitslightweight,highenergydensity,andabilitytorechange.Apartfromthis,Li-ionbatteriesalsotypicallyhavea longer lifespan compared to a lead acid battery ALi-ion battery can typically store150watts-hourperkgascomparedtoalead-acidbatterywhichstoresonly around25watts-hourperkg.
Insimpleterms,itmeansthatLi-ionbatteriesoffermoreefficiencycomparedto otherbatterytypeswhilekeepingtheformfactorofaproductrelativelycompact, whichmeansanelectriccarfittedwithLi-ionbatterieswillhaveagreaterdriving range,andsmartphoneswilllastlongerthroughtheday
However,oneofthebiggestbenefitsofLi-ionbatteries-itshighenergydensity canalsobeapotentialreasonbehindthebattery'sundoing.
BATTERYMANAGEMENTSYSTEM
ABMSisbasicallyanelectronicsystemthatisconnectedtoallthecellsinaLiionbatterypack,whichconstantlymeasuretheirvoltageandthecurrentflowing throughit.
ABMSisalsoequippedwithamyriadoftemperaturesensors,providingitinformation on temperatures at different sections of the battery pack. All this data helpstheBMScalculateotherparametersofabatterypack,likethechargingand dischargingrate,batterylifecycle,andefficiency
According to industry experts, a number of reasons, such as manufacturing defects,externaldamage,orfaultsinthedeploymentintheBMScouldresultin thesebatteriesbecomingafirerisk.
Ontheotherhand,temperature,expertspointedout,playsatrickyroleinaLi-ion batterypack.
“While Li-ion batteries typically perform better in warmer temperatures, extremelyhightemperaturescouldmeanthebatterypackk'sambienttemperature could shoot up as high as 90-100 degrees, which is when that become extremelypronetocatchingfire”.
FOCUSAREAS
Inthe2022budget,abatteryswappingpolicywasannouncedasaneasierwayto chargeEVs.Thevehicle'susedbatteryissimplyswappedwithareplenishedone withouthavingtoplugthevehicleintoachargingpoint.Lastyear,thegovernment also announced a Production Linked Incentive scheme for automakers, a partofwhichaimstoboostelectricvehiclesmanufacturing.
If all these measures are implemented effectively and efficiently, industry expertssayIndiaislikelytoseeasignificantgrowthinEVmarketinthecoming decade.
Theglobalautomobileindustryisundergoingaparadigmshiftatpresentintryingtoswitchtoalternative/lessenergyintensiveoptions.India,too,isinvesting inthiselectricmobilityshift.Theburdenofoilimports,risingpollution,andas wellasinternationalcommitmentstocombatglobalclimatechangeareamong key factors motivating India's recent policies to speed up the transition to emobility
Thesaleofretailelectricvehicles(EV)sawasharpthree-foldjumpin2021-22 (March-April), data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA)showed.In2021-22,4.29lakhelectricvehiclesweresold,comparedto only1.34lakhlastyear,and1.68lakhin2019-20.
ThedatafromFADAshowedthatelectrictwo-wheelersmakeupthebulkofthe numbers. During the financial year that just ended, 2.31 lakh electric twowheelersweresold,comparedtojust41,046unitsayearago.
Among the brands, Hero Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd sold the most electric twowheelers,clocking65,303unitsduringtheyear,followedbyOkinawaAutotech Pvt Ltd at 46,447 units, Ampere Vehicles Pvt Ltd at 24,648 units and Ather Energyat19,971.
Electricpassengervehiclesalsosawa257%growthinsales,albeitoverasmall base.During2021-22,17,802unitsweresold,FADAsaid,comparedto4,984 theyearbefore.A,majorchunkofthiswassoldbyTataMotors,whichhasthe TigorandNexonEVproductsinitsportfolio.Thecompanysold15,198unitsduring the year, followed by MG Motor India at 2,045 units and Mahindra & Mahindraat156units.
During2021-22.1.78lakhelectricthree-wheelersweresoldasagainst88,391in 2020-21and1.41lakhin2019-20.WhileYCElectricVehicleleadsthefigures, selling17,049units,itisfollowedbySaeraElectricAutoPvtLtdat8,475units andMahindraRevaElectricVehiclesPvtLtdat8,037units.Notably,FADAsaid thatthethree-wheelermarketisseeingatacticalshiftfrominternalcombustion enginestoelectriconesas45%ofthethree-wheelermarkethasnowshiftedto EVs.
REASONFORTHEGROWTH
Aconcerted push by the government and expanding footprint of the charging infrastructurehasledtothegrowthinEVsalesduringtheyear.Addedtothiswas the sustained increase in prices of automobile fuels, such as petrol and diesel. Going ahead, with services such as battery swapping, battery-as-a-services (BaaS)settingin,salesinthesegmentcouldseefurthergrowth.
CONCLUSION
TheIndianautomotiveindustryisthefifthlargestintheworldandisslatedtobe thethirdlargestby2030.Cateringtoavastdomesticmarket,relianceontheconventionalmodesoffuelintensivemobilitywillnotbesustainable.Bymakingthe shift towards electric vehicles (EVs), India stands to benefit on many fronts: it has a relative abundance of renewable energy resources and availability of skilledmanpowerinthetechnologyandmanufacturingsectors.Littlebitofhesitancywillbethereaftertherecentnewsofbikesburstingintoflamesduetohigh temperature. Once this problem is addressed new records will further be created.Asthispaperhasshown,electricvehicleshaveanumberofadvantages overinternalcombustionengines.Althoughfarmoreeffectiveandcleaner,ithas drawbacksaswell.Itcostsmore,isheavier,hasashorterrangebeforeneedingto berecharged.ThebatteryoftheEViscrucialtoitsfuture.Futureprospectsfor EVslookbrightifresearcherscancreateorlocatethe"superbattery".Eachvehiclehasauniquequalitythatsetsitapartfromtheothersasofrightnow Which vehiclewillbesuccessfulinthefuturewilldependsolelyontimeandtechnologicaladvancements.