An EV takeover of Delhi’s roads! Can we emulate Delhi Metro success story?

Posted on 10 Apr 2021

Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world with respiratory infections and pulmonary diseases being common among its residents. During peak hours the number of vehicles that ply on its roads cause large traffic snarls. As per the Delhi Economic Survey report, the state had 1.18 lakh crore registered vehicles on its roads by March 2020, on the eve of the coronavirus outbreak in India. The vehicle count had risen from 317 per thousand in 2005-06 to 643 per thousand in 2019-20 ringing alarm bells to curb the pollution menace.

Considering the pressing need to arrest the rising pollution levels which has been choking the city’s residents, the Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government launched the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, last year, to usher in a transition from fuel powered engines to battery operated ones. The policy envisages making electric vehicles one-fourth of the new vehicle registrations in Delhi by around 2024-25, a dream which could be realized when the state government sets up the necessary electric vehicle charging infrastructure. So how long will it take for Delhi’s residents to switch to electric vehicles and make the city an EV hub?

Well, it doesn’t happen overnight, our experience with metro is a primary example, analysts point out. Delhi Metro had small beginnings in 1998 and was developed in several phases over the next two decades to what it is today. Critics often highlight the issues such as high battery costs, infrastructure not being there, vehicles not suited for long distance travel, among others. The challenges no doubt persist but we need to have the will to overcome those and chart out the paths to switch from oil powered engines to electric vehicles. This can be done in a calibrated way, in phases, even if it may take a few more extra years, the government has to make the right moves. R&D can happen simultaneously to bring down battery costs and make EVs more feasible for the general public.

At a press conference last month, Delhi’s Power Minister, Satyendra Jain announced that Delhi government had floated India’s biggest tender for electric vehicle charging with a provision for 500 charging points across 100 locations in Delhi to enable the public to charge their vehicles outside their homes as well. The government is also giving directions to commercial and institutional buildings having a parking space of more than 100 vehicles including shopping malls, shopping complexes, hotels, etc. to reserve 5 per cent of the total vehicle capacity for electric vehicles and install charging points with a minimum output of 3.3 KW.

On the other hand, in all new constructions, about 20 per cent of the parking capacity would be directed to make space for having charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. As against petrol and diesel vehicles, electric vehicles wouldn’t have emissions and would bring down air pollution drastically when adopted on a massive scale. Delhi government is also encouraging government departments to switch to electric vehicles and discontinue using petrol and diesel variants.

Indian market is highly price sensitive and more often than not, cost is a big concern among the masses and with electric cars being priced in the range of around Rs.13 lakhs to Rs.22 lakhs, there aren’t many takers. Middle class families don’t find it affordable to buy these cars and if companies want to make good sales then this segment of the population should start purchasing. This is not happening currently as lithium ion batteries used to power these cars take up to around 70 per cent of the cost. The batteries aren’t manufactured indigenously; we are importing them predominantly from China, only the assembling takes places here. To make electric vehicles as affordable as petrol and diesel ones, we need to begin manufacturing our own batteries.

The state government push for adopting EVs coupled with the domestic production of batteries and R&D and innovations in leading Indian institutions such as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence and Research Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), etc. can be game changers. It is to be noted that Delhi’s scrapping policy mandates vehicles over 15 years to be scrapped even when fitness certificates are produced and if we go by the estimates of National Green Tribunal then perhaps around 28 million vehicles may have to be discontinued in another ten years. Stakeholders opine that retrofitting the cars into EV ones will be advantageous in such cases as the public will not have to shell their hard earned money to buy a new car and challenges in disposing the scrap will also be taken care of. Moreover it will help in reducing global warming and raise job opportunities which will bode well for the country’s economy.

Analysts also feel that the government support in building infrastructure for electric vehicles is no doubt praiseworthy but they also need to extend such support to two wheelers as well as three wheelers since customers are more likely to buy these vehicles more due to the cost factor. Such a move will be highly beneficial for segments involved in transporting goods from one place to another and for the various pick-up and delivery agents operating in the city. The government should consider this as the transition rates will be much faster in this segment. As these developments happen, we will witness big changes and save money that we spend on petrol and diesel. Once again Delhi could perhaps emerge as the leader in bringing in an EV revolution in India, much like the way it did for metro trains.

The author is a Delhi based journalist, he can be contacted at prasad.n@indoen.com