ARTICLE | Renewable Fuels
Entering the future with green mobility Countries are undertaking various initiatives to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. It must be realised now, more than ever, that a substantial contributor to global warming and greenhouse gas emissions is transport – both public and private. Only when governments can encourage a switch to eco-friendly transportation modes can they possibly be close to meeting the climate change goals
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019 was the second warmest year on record and the end to the warmest decade ever recorded. A report by the United Nations Organisation has claimed that carbon dioxide levels (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions reach a record high every year. This is a significant point of concern as governments’ initiatives worldwide are achieving success; they do not seem sufficient. According to the World Resources Institute’s Climate Watch platform, emissions from transportrelated activities accounted for 16 per cent of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019. This translates to about 8078.45 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions. To realise the Paris Agreement’s goals, countries must recognise the urgency of promoting vehicles run on renewable energy sources. The past decade has witnessed a number of teams of scientists trying to develop newer methods of integrating
34 March 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in
transportation and renewable energy. Apart from the famous electric vehicles (EVs), research is ongoing to develop fuel cells and biofuel vehicles. This acts as a light at the end of the tunnel with newfound hope that we will soon be able to drive without having to worry about carbon emissions, global warming and climate change.
Battery electric vehicles
Battery electric vehicles are currently one of the eco-friendliest modes of transport being produced commercially. These vehicles are run on electricity stored in a battery and extracted and utilised by an electric motor. Due to the fuel required by electric motors being electricity, these vehicles do not emit carbon or other particulate matter. This makes these vehicles eco-friendly. In India’s case, the push given by both the Centre and state governments to the adoption of electric mobility has shown substantial results. The subsidies provided by the government on the production and sale of electric vehicles has encouraged manufactures to
undertake mass production of electric vehicles. Moreover, the expansion of charging infrastructure, particularly in Delhi, has also become a reason for consumers switching to electric vehicles. The two policies majorly responsible for consumers switching to electric 2- and 3- wheelers in India are Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles in India – Phase II (FAME II) and the Delhi EV Policy 2020. Despite this, the usage of EVs still faces the problem of the range that these cars have. The battery size of an EV, just like that of a vehicle with a combustion engine, is limited. It means that a user can only drive in one full charge for a maximum of 200 kilometres. As more and more original equipment manufacturers take up electric vehicles as their priority, the production cost of these vehicles is likely to reduce, and the range is expected to increase with more R&D. Storage capacity, durability, cost, safety, and recharging times are all still not sufficient for a wide acceptance of
