Electric vehicle industry in India. India unveiled 'National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020' in 2013 to address the issues of National energy security, vehicular pollution and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities. The world has taken note of the discussions that India may be planning for a major shift to electric vehicles by 2030.
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Industry Association/s related to Electric Vehicles
Hybrid and Electric Cars
The hybrid or electric cars available in India are:
Motorcycles and Scooters
The following companies have launched Electric motorcycles and scooters in India:
Bicycles
The following companies have launched Electric bicycles in India:
Buses
India's first electric bus was launched in Bangalore in 2014.
Ashok Leyland
Tata Motors has launched its pure electric bus ‘Starbus Electric 9m’ and hybrid ‘StarBus Electric 12m’ in Jan 2017 at indicative price range of Rs.1.6 crores & Rs.2 crores
Mini pick up trucks
The following companies have launched electric pick up trucks in India:
Heavy duty trucks, semi-trailer and tractor trucks
There are no known cases of manufacturing and use of electric heavy duty trucks, semi-trailers or tractor trucks in India.
Rickshaws
A Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Parliament in 2015, which established battery-powered e-rickshaws as a valid form of commercial transport in India. With their small size and small turning radius, E-rickshaw is already a popular mode of transport in Delhi-NCR, particularly in small lanes and congested areas.
Railways
Indian Railways has a long history of electric locomotives. Delhi Metro, powered by electricity, is the latest and most successful public transport system in India.
Mobility Solution Providers
In 2015, Bangalore based Lithium Technologies launched a fully electric taxi service for corporates.
Charging infrastructure
Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in India has not been fully developed yet. There have been initiatives to set up community charging stations, as in the case of Plugin India facilitated charging stations. News reports have indicated about plans to provide solar-powered charging points at the existing fuel stations of the country.
Reasons for the shift to clean mobility
1. Air Quality Indices related to India indicate that the air in many cities of India is no longer healthy. Automobile related pollution has been one of the causes for this.
2. Aspects related to global warming needs a shift to automobile solutions that reduces/ do not produce greenhouse gas emissions.
3. The need to reduce dependency on a fossil-fuel based economy. India's crude oil imports for 2014-15 was 112 billion dollars (approximately 7,00,000 crore rupees). For comparison, the allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, in budget 2017-18, is 48,000 crore rupees.
4. India can become a global provider for clean mobility solutions and processes that are affordable and scalable.
5. People living in some of the Indian cities are being affected by noise pollution. Some of the Indian cities have the worst noise pollution levels in the world. Electric vehicles may contribute to a reduction in noise pollution levels in the cities.