Why Electric cars are an absolute necessity for Indians.
Electric Cars: A step towards Green Planet
The Government of India is planning to make a complete transformation to electric vehicles by 2030. The government needs to make electric cars and vehicles a priority to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels. A few steps like increasing the market transparency, a good policy environment, and reducing the production cost on a large scale should be taken by the government to accomplish full electric mobility.
Popularity Of Electric Cars In India
There has been an increase in the liking of people of India towards electric cars in the past few years. Electric cars are a promising option for the Indians. Electric cars do not produce any emissions. As the rising pollution is a major concern for the nation, electric cars can go a long way in controlling it.
Why Are Electric Cars Better Than Fuel Cars?
Electric cars are much cheaper than fuel cars, due to which these cars can have a much bigger market. The reason for this lies in the fact that charging a battery takes a lower cost as compared to refueling a conventional liquid fuel tank. Also, the low operating cost compared to the conventional internal combustion engines will make these cars more readily available to the customers.
The price of electricity as fuel could fall as low as Rs 1.1/km, which will help an electric vehicle owner save up to Rs. 20,000 for every 5,000/km traveled. Finally, electrification will help reduce vehicular emissions, the main reason for air pollution, which causes an average 3% GDP loss every year.
Electric cars have 75 to 80 % lesser moving components which makes them low maintenance vehicles. These cars are also better in performance and drivability.
Challenges In Adopting Electric Cars By Indian Consumers
To change the mindset of people about the advantages of electric cars will require a lot of work like sensitizing them through advertisement, etc. How many miles an electric car can go at maximum charge is a matter of concern for customers worldwide. Also, there are many other challenges like the complete absence of battery cell manufacturing, building charging infrastructure, filling the supply-demand gap, and creating the closed-loop mobility ecosystem.
Top 10 Electric Vehicles Manufacturers in India
The automobile industry and Indian car manufacturers are working on Make In India mission of electric vehicles under the flagship of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan by the Government of India. The electric vehicle industry in India will produce more electric bikes, electric cars, and electric three-wheelers over the next two decades.
National Electric Mobility Mission Plan was launched in 2013 to promote hybrid and electric vehicles in the country to reduce liquid fuel consumption and target the sales of hybrid and electric vehicles in India.
Tata Electric
Tata Motors launched Hybrid and electric Starbus from a manufacturing facility in Pune under its zero-emission mass transport solution. Tata Motors offers a wide range of electric vehicles and contributes to India's electric vehicle industry with Tata Tigor electric car, Ultra Electric bus, Starbus Hybrid Electric Buses for cleaner and greener public transportation.
Mahindra Electric
Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited is based in Bangalore, sells electric vehicles in passenger and cargo segments, and manufactures compact electric vehicles.
Earlier, Reva electric company was acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra, and today, the company has launched Mahindra e2o, electric hatchback e2oPlus, eVerito sedan, commercial electric eSupro, and upcoming electric version of the KUV100.
Ashok Leyland Electric
Ashok Leyland is one of the largest bus manufacturers in the world and the market leader of trucks in India. The company has already launched a fully electric bus called Circuit in India, an advanced non-plugin version of HYBUS, Electric Euro 6 Truck, and announced us.
Olectra – BYD Green E-Bus
Electra Greentech is one of the market leaders in manufacturing electric buses designed with BYD for Indian roads. The electric bus manufacturer BYD venture with Electra has introduces electric buses in Hyderabad, Pune, Telangana, and Delhi, plus continue to electrify the Indian E-BUS market.
Ola Electric
Ola has launched a multi-modal electric vehicle project in Nagpur under Mission Electric and runs electric public transport vehicles in India. The homegrown company is also planning for launching 10,000 e rickshaws in India as well as invests in setting up charging stations for electric vehicles in major Indian cities
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KONA Electric
Kona Electric vehicle by Hyundai is India’s first fully electric SUV priced at 25.3 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The SUV is loaded with Android smartphone connectivity, a Google navigation system, and USB entertainment features, along with wireless phone charging.
Hyundai is offering the power-packed driving experience of KONA Electric SUV and planning to install EV charging facilities in India by Partnering with IOCL at fuel stations.
Hero Electric
Hero Electric is the biggest manufacturer of electric scooters in India with a vision of providing electric mobility to the nation. The market leader of the Indian Electric industry in the Two Wheeler segment, offering a wide range of electric vehicles to Indian such as Photon, flash la, optima, and hero electric Nyx.
Emflux Motors producing high-performance electric motorcycle named Emflux One; the superbike hasn’t been launched yet in the country but is expected to launch in India around December 2019.
Okinawa Electric
Okinawa Autotech is a popular Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturing company to contribute absolutely zero-emission to the green society and new technologies in the Indian automobile industry. Okinawa ridge and Okinawa Praise are two scooters designed with best-in-class technology from price starts at Rs. 39,990 to Rs. 1.17 lakh.
Menza Motors
Menza motors, an electric automobile company based in Ahmadabad city, has launched its first electric motorcycle, the Lucas, in India. Two-wheeler startup Lucas motorcycle cost Rs 2.8 lakh (ex-showroom).
Lohia Auto
Lohia Auto is one of the leading e-rickshaw companies in India, along with Mahindra, TVS, Bajaj, and Atul Auto. Electric Rickshaw has become very popular In India, and there is a list of e-rickshaw Manufacturers in India.
A list of other companies also launching e-scooters and electric bikes in India, such as Ather Energy, Okinawa Electric, Atom Electric, Emflux Electric, 22 KYMCO iFlow, YOBykes, TVS Electric, and Menza Motors.
Top e-rickshaw Manufacturers are Bajaj E Rickshaw, Mahindra electric e-Alfa Mini rickshaw, Thukral Electric, Kinetic Green, Jezza Motors, Udaan E-Rickshaw, and Skyride E Rickshaw.
Upcoming Electric Cars in India
Electric cars are becoming more popular in India, with energy stored in rechargeable batteries and a plug-in electric variety of charging stations. Nissan Leaf and Tesla are the top two best-selling electric cars globally; here is the list of upcoming electric cars in India.
Tata Altroz EV
Mahindra eKUV100
Maruti Suzuki WagonR EV
Nissan Leaf EV
MG eZS
Tesla Model S
Audi e-Tron
Ford Aspire EV
Tesla brand and its electric Model X, Y, are going to launch in India soon. There are no official updates about the dates, but the electric car Model S has an estimated price of Rs 1.5 Cr and Model X, Y with an estimated price of Rs. 55.00 lakh.
Problems In Manufacturing Electric Cars In India
The high cost of Electric cars is a reason of concern among Indians. In electric cars, the material used is completely different from that used in fuel cars. New demands on the world supply chain could be generated as demand for the battery components such as nickel and cobalt could rise significantly.
The complete absence of battery cell manufacturing is a major concern too. At present, our auto manufacturers import lithium-ion batteries from China, Taiwan, and Korea. But many foreign and local companies have started working on setting up battery manufacturing plants in India.
There are massive changes in technology and people’s attitude towards cars' environmental impacts and other mobility solutions. In India, the electric cars market is a lucrative goal for companies and startups. The demand for electric vehicles is dependent on the availability of fast-charging batteries with an extended driving range.
Many hurdles still need to be addressed to make electric cars a favorite among consumers.
For the developers of electric cars, the main challenge is developing quality, long-lasting, safe batteries and can store a lot of energy. In the current ecosystem, lead-acid batteries and lithium-ion batteries are the most suitable options.
On the other hand, lithium-ion batteries are capable of fast charging and high performance and can be found in the latest electric vehicles. Innovations in cathode materials, such as nickel, have improved their energy content, safety, and life span. Today’s lithium-ion batteries are also safer due to the addition of less electrochemically active metals, such as aluminum or manganese, which reduce the risk of fire due to oxidation.
Battery manufacturing is actually a costly venture. The government of India should focus on promoting technological disruption to resolve these challenges. The government should also provide enhanced tax incentives and subsidies to potential car owners and suppliers to make faster electric cars possible soon.
Summary
We can summarize with a note that one-day major car, bike, and rickshaw owners will replace their old vehicles with electronic vehicles and contribute to our nation's pollution-free policy. This decision not only promises economic running of the vehicle with no emission of gas or dust. Let's contribute to a greener nation.
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