EVs: Are They the Future of Transport For India?
Electric Vehicles have considerably occupied the major portion of daily news these days, certainly far higher than they used to get 3 to 4 years back. With India introducing its own EV policy, the debate is heating up. How sustainable is this policy, and can EVs actually become the future of India's transportation?
Before answering this question, we need to understand a few fundamental concepts.
Emergence of EVs
EVs are often mistaken as a recent innovation, but history reveals they were prevalent in the 1880s. Interestingly, one of the earliest car inventions was electric. However, it was Tesla that reignited global interest in EVs. The company showed the world that EVs need not be slow-moving and ugly-looking golf carts but can also look like sports cars.
EVs are not a new concept to Indian people either. REVA, established in the '90s, was the first official manufacturer of 4W EVs. If you're from this era, you may have seen these cars plying the Bangalore roads here and there. In the 2W space, TVS burnt its hand by introducing a subpar vehicle called Teenz Electric back in 2008–09, which became a flop model for its unreliability.
But why this sudden interest in EVs?
The one-word answer would be Global Warming.
Nobody needs an introduction to Global Warming. Increased carbon emissions in the last 200 years have greatly impacted how the world functions and imminent threat to humanity is looming large because of the climate implications this global warming brings. One primary culprit behind increased carbon emissions is transportation.
Why is India Mulling Towards EV?
India is the third-largest auto market and the biggest 2W market in the world. With over 1.4B and more than 600M young population, India's bustling streets will see more vehicles on the road, and the growth isn’t slowing down for the next 30 years.
These personal vehicles aren't just a symbol of progress but also a concerning contributor to pollution, aka global warming. India, a seasonal monsoon country, is set to get affected more due to erratic rainfall and high temperatures, two major outcomes of global warming. However, is that the only reason India is moving towards electric vehicles?
The answer is a big NO!
The other major reason is Energy Security. See the map below to understand how India gets its oil.
Today, India imports 95% of its crude oil, most of which goes for vehicle fuels. We have all seen how much the prices of petroleum products have risen, contributing to increased inflation in the last seven years. Not just India's but the entire world's economy is heavily dependent on the price of a litre of petrol/diesel. If India wants to become a heavyweight and world power, its economy should be averse to external impacts.
A war happening somewhere far from land, a political tussle happening in a country that's not even in our continent, and sanctions on some countries due to differences not relevant to us heavily affected our economy, leading to a price rise in basic needs. We have all seen how much scrutiny India faced when it imported discounted oil from Russia.
To avoid this kind of geopolitical shock in the future, India should be self-reliant on the energy front and secure its energy supply.
What source other than Electric Vehicles provides a bright option towards self-reliance on energy consumption? So India decided to partake in this call of moving to alternate fuel to avoid pollution and, more importantly, to secure its future.
What constitutes an EV?
Breaking down an EV, we find three main components: the Battery, BMS (Battery Management System), and Motor. The most efficient batteries are made of Li-on, cobalt, and nickel. The BMS is the heart of the EV that controls the battery power, temperature, and motors. As far as the Motors are concerned, it's something most are familiar with.
Apart from these major parts, there are other parts such as vehicle chassis and electronic components such as displays, controllers, etc. Yet, the number is significantly lesser than conventional Internal Combustion Energy vehicles.
Why the Current EVs Can't Be the Future of India's Transportation Needs?
If you look closely, an uncanny resemblance exists between ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles and EVs — a dependency on foreign nations.
China has a strong hold on lithium reserves, while Indonesia dominates the nickel market. China again dominates the market with over 70% share in manufacturing BMS.
When trying to move away from one energy source citing energy security and sustainability, knowingly or unknowingly, we again get trapped by depending on foreign countries, especially China, which is less reliable than OPEC nations.
Let's keep the geopolitical games apart; where are we in producing essential materials for EVs?
The production is miniscule and cannot even power the developed states within India like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu if these decide to switch to EV completely. The recent potential discovery of lithium in Kashmir may seem like a solution, but realistically, we're two decades away from harnessing it. Also, the environmental implications of mining in the Himalayas, which are pivotal water sources for North India, must be addressed.
What is the Alternative Then?
Current battery technology, primarily reliant on Li-ion, aligns poorly with India's economy and energy security. There's a need to pivot to technologies that diminish lithium, nickel and cobalt dependency. One such promising avenue is solid-state batteries. Although these batteries have more lithium in them, because of their high energy density, they will have longer life than current Li-ion batteries, reducing the need for new batteries every five years.
Recently, Sodium-ion batteries (SIB) have shown a great potential. If you follow EV tech closely, you might have seen that Ambani has invested in companies like Faradion, which champion SIB technology. This technology is still a few years away from achieving the energy density of current-generation Li-ion batteries. However, the major benefit of technology is that we don't need to mine any rare elements since sodium is abundantly available on the Earth.
Wait and Watch
In conclusion, EVs, in their current state, cannot serve as a full-fledged replacement for oil, nor do they promise enhanced energy security for India. The future calls for India to innovate its own battery and BMS technology, aiming for self-reliance and insulating itself from external shocks. The path forward is not merely adoption but adaptation, reshaping technologies to suit India's unique needs and resources.
