Electric Vehicles: are we fast?

Do you know that electric vehicles can pollute the environment more than a diesel engine?

Now coming to the new proposal of the government. After 2023, all auto-rickshaws must be electric. After 2025 all two-wheelers under 150cc must be electrified.

This is the plan of the government to fight climate change. India has signed the Paris agreement and this decision would be very helpful to be compliant with the agreement.

But I’m asking the same question: Are we going fast?

When we compare with countries like Netherlands and places like California, our progress is slow.

But is it the right way?

Important consideration:

The main purpose of bringing electric vehicles is that it helps in bringing the emission level down (Probably no emission at all). One important assumption we made while making this statement is that the energy used in charging the batteries comes from renewable sources.

And for electricity production in India, we use fossil fuels. Over 60% of the country’s electricity comes from coal or gas-fired power plants.

To be more precise on the data, I found some good information from the Ministry of power website. Out of 3.64 lakh megawatts of power, we produce in the country, 63.2 percent comes from thermal power plants (Coal, diesel, natural gas) and only 36.5 percent comes from renewable sources. Refer to the image below.

Thermal power plants, especially the coal-fired ones are the dirty ways of producing electricity. The emissions per kilowatt of coal power plants is far worse than our vehicle produces.

Therefore, there is no point in buying an electric vehicle in a place where the main source of electricity is from a thermal power plant which is coal-fired.

Lithium

Lithium is the main constituent in modern high-density batteries but mining this is one of the most polluting industry in the world. Therefore, extracting lithium for batteries pollutes the environment.

Technology

Even if we overcome the above-mentioned issue, charging infrastructure in the country is very poor. The proposed deadline is very short for companies to adapt to electric. You might think the time is far adequate. But remember, this is the most selling segment in the entire automotive industry. So a big change would have a terrible impact as the initial cost of these vehicles is very high.

Instead, the adaptation can be gradual and the government can implement this in a fewer selling segment sooner.

Else, the government can insist on the companies to have a good share of electric vehicles within their products. This is a good idea as electric vehicles may not be affordable and practical for many buyers in the country.

Fuel cells

When we think of EVs, we consider only the one which is powered by batteries. There is an alternative for this. Fuel cells. There are a lot of advantages for using fuel cells. First, it uses hydrogen which energy-packed. This makes it viable to be used in heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses.

Refuelling is very similar to filling fossil fuels. Bye range anxiety.

But the main disadvantage, however, is that hydrogen is very expensive as we should compress it to 700 bars!. And if we extract it from methane, it pollutes the environment. But proper research in this field would bring the cost down.

Also things get worse if we get hydrogen from methane. (Natural gas reforming)

More on Fuel cells: Click here

The bright side

Electrification has enabled new startups like Ather energy. The company makes some amazing scooters but the most important thing to be considered here is the cost. The cost of such EV is almost twice that of a two-wheeler powered by an engine.

But the technology is improving and soon the cost would come down.

To conclude

Electrification is not a viable solution to bring down the pollution if we use fossil fuels for power generation. The Government must concentrate more on bringing renewable power. This is not very hard. Motivating people and industries to install rooftop solar plants is an excellent solution.

Instead of making one entire segment electric, the government can tell the manufacturers to have a certain amount of vehicles in their fleet to go electric.

Hybrid vehicles can also be promoted by the government more aggressively.