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The long road ahead for electric vehicles. Chetan Maini, founder of Reva Electric Car Company, is now focussing on building charging infrastructure for EVs. Image: Hemant Mishra / Mint via Getty Images. For a country that finds multiple mentions on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of the world’s most polluted cities, it’s hard to imagine a future free of sputtering diesel engines and noxious fumes. While Delhi managed to shed its 2. The city’s periodic policy of keeping odd and even numbered vehicles off the road on alternate days threw open a debate, and most experts concur that it may not be a viable alternative in the long run.

In such a backdrop, then power minister Piyush Goyal’s announcement in April, that the country would stop selling petrol and diesel cars by 2. The move is particularly promising for the electric vehicle (EV) sector that is estimated to be worth $7. IDTech. Ex. But does India have the infrastructure or the demand to meet the target? According to Alok Ray of the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), India is yet to warm up to EVs: Only 2.

India in 2. 01. 6 (of which just 2,0. US in the same year. Besides, the Mahindra Group is the only manufacturer of EVs in India. Watch Dark Tourist Online Free HD. The group acquired Reva Electric Car Company from founder and green entrepreneur Chetan Maini in 2. EV division, Mahindra Electric Mobility, now offers three all- electric, emission- free vehicles—the e. Verito, and the e. Supro. But despite the slow growth of the sector over the past decade, the government’s goals have re- energised EV enthusiasts.

What’s been happening in the past six to twelve months is a movement I haven’t seen before,” says Maini who stepped down as CEO of Mahindra Reva in 2. Make Mine Music Full Movie. Sales of EVs stood at just 2. India in 2. 01. 6, against 1. USDuring an interview with Forbes India in New York, Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, agrees. That one statement by the government [to aim for an all- electric fleet by 2. EV ecosystem in the country,” says Mahindra. Sometimes, one should not question the practicality of it.

This is a desirable goal for India.”While EV veteran Mahindra hasn’t seen much sales over the years, given the recent drive, the company is tapping newer avenues to push the brand. Tesla was not known a few years ago, but it is today a household name,” says Mahindra. As the world turns to electric cars, it levels the playing field for challenger brands like us.”Adds Mahesh Babu, CEO of Mahindra Electric, “The focus is mainly on public transport and vehicles used by shared mobility.” He cites the economics of focusing on deals with fleets before taking them to individual customers—the more a vehicle is driven, the more the investment in an EV makes sense as fuel cost savings make up for higher upfront capital costs. The next step for us is buses,” says Babu. In April, Mahindra Electric announced that it will begin sales of electric buses in 2.

May, it struck up a partnership with online ride- hailing platform Ola to provide it with 1. Ola is rolling out these e- taxis and an additional 1. Nagpur with an investment of ₹5. EV fleets across the country by 2. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors.

There is buzz that Teslas will soon be zooming on Indian roads. Image: James Leynse / Corbis via Getty Images. Mahindra may soon have some competition. There was much buzz around US- based EV giant Tesla entering the Indian market until a series of tweets from founder and CEO Elon Musk in May indicated that his India plans were on hold.

However, on June 1. India” regarding import duties and restrictions “until a local factory is built”, reigniting hope that the world’s most hyped EV will soon be zooming on Indian roads.

But Tesla will have to significantly rework its offerings if it hopes to sell en masse to Indian consumers. Price- conscious Indian buyers are likely to be put off by the hefty $9. Model S, when they have Mahindra’s compact e.

Plus starting at ₹8 lakh.“Even the cheapest Tesla is really expensive for the Indian market,” says Rahul Tongia, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a non- profit public policy organisation based in Washington DC. Of course, that doesn’t prevent Tesla from targeting the large luxury market here, worth an estimated $1. A niche in India is bigger than some countries in Europe,” says Tongia. But that is unlikely to help achieve the country’s 1. Building an EV friendly country goes beyond just the vehicles themselves.

One of the biggest hurdles to EV rollouts the world over has been the dearth of charging infrastructure, and the lack of understanding of how charging will interact with the grid. EVs need to be plugged in and charged after some kilometres, and without charging stations as conveniently located as petrol pumps, they won’t be attractive sales propositions.  Under GST, tax on full- electric four- wheelers have dropped to 1. Mahindra’s e. 2o currently has a range of about 1. Babu says they are developing a model in the 2.

But stronger batteries will increase costs and offset affordability. To be sure, battery costs are dropping precipitously, from over $1,0. Wh) in 2. 00. 7, to around $4.

Wh in 2. 01. 4. But installing charging infrastructure is the critical first step of launching EVs. Mahindra Electric has set up around 5. The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), the power utility behemoth, recently forayed into clean energy infrastructure by setting up two charging points in the National Capital Region (NCR) and has plans to install at least 2. Startups are also beginning to look at ways to capitalise on an all- electric future.

Earlier this year, Maini started SUN Mobility, a joint venture between Virya Mobility 5. SUN New Energy Systems, the SUN Group’s investment arm. The company plans to manufacture smart, replaceable batteries for electric cars and build charging stations across the country that will be powered by renewable energy. In July, the company inked a pact with commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland to provide world- class solutions in the area of clean energy and electric mobility. Maini started SUN Mobility to tackle the biggest obstacles to EVs—what he calls the “emotional” side, or customer anxiety over range and charging times. Unless we find solutions to fundamentally resolve these problems, you won’t have electric vehicles,” he says. Average charging times for EV batteries are around eight hours, with the fastest chargers refilling a battery in four hours.

SUN Mobility is trying to tackle such long durations with battery swaps, in which customers can switch their drained batteries with fully charged ones at designated points. As EV batteries become more standardised, Maini sees pay- for- use swapping stations as an integral part of the urban ecosystem in the future.

With SUN Mobility, Maini says he wanted to design an open architecture company that could be accessible to multiple players in the sector. That’s harder to do in a company that’s only building vehicles,” he says. Of course, none of this will move without the right policies in place.

While Goyal had made lofty statements, the government has yet to unveil a long- term, comprehensive strategy for the sector. EVs have clear incentives under GST, with the tax rate on full- electric four- wheelers dropping from 2. But the government gives a very small subsidy to our customers, while other governments give a much larger one,” says Babu, referring to China’s large state incentives such as tax exemptions to kickstart EV sales.