Industry committed to e-vehicle initiative.
India needs affordable multivariant e-mobility solutions customised to the domestic market as it proceeds with plans to run over 10 billion electric cars over the next decade.
The government also needs to policy supporting various green options especially related to fuels and promote the use of public transport, according to experts.
Despite challenges to the last mile connectivity, such as charging points and urban infrastructure, affordable multivariant e-mobility solutions area required, said Mansi Tripathy, Managing Director, Shell Lubricants India.
For this, the industry including original equipment manufacturers are fully committed to realising the national vision, assured Tripathy at the CII-Shell Global Lecture Series.
Other speakers at the meet also touched on fuel-efficiency efforts in India.
P K Banerjee, Deputy Executive Director (Tech.) at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, pointed out the four main forces that will drive the mobility sector.
These are consumer needs, move from connected to autonomous mobility, infrastructure, and management of old vehicles including recycling.
The Government is promoting e-mobility by working towards adopting indigenous and affordable e-mobility solutions which are sustained by an economic model, assured the speakers.
The CII- Shell Global Lecture Series on ‘Greenovation: Future Mobility’ on 7 June 2017 was held at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, on 7 June 2017.
Abhay Damle, Joint Secretary (Transport), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has called on the e-mobility industry to focus on converting high mileage vehicles into electrical.
He pointed out that Indian cars produce less pollution compared to trucks and buses, which travel an average 200 km per day and while comprising 2.5% of vehicles, consume 65% of fuel and emit about 70% NOx and SOx.
Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Principal Advisor, Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, has also called for innovative techniques to offset high battery prices, concessional Goods and Services Tax and road-tax for three years.
Battery swapping & charging, module-based battery design, developing business opportunities for battery ownership, etc. can alleviate battery costs, he said.
Speaking on India’s biofuels mandate, Y B Ramakrishna, Chairman – Working Group on Biofuels, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, added that biofuels can mitigate climate change and secure India’s energy by replacing up to 30 per cent generation from fossil fuels.
The Government is implementing policies to promote sustainable conversion technologies to produce blended fuels like bio-ethanol, bio-diesel and biogas, and India is already leading in technology to produce second generation ethanol, he stated.
He pointed out that issues like underutilization of production capacity and feedstock supply and cost need to be resolved.
Soma Banerjee, Principal – Energy & Infrastructure, CII, called for Government policy to encourage citizens and Industry to move towards public vehicles, taking into account energy efficiency and global market conditions. fii-news.com
