Future Belongs to the EV Mobility

An Electrical Vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electrical motors for propulsion. In the past, electrical propulsion was mainly used for trains, but in the 21st century, EV’s have seen a resurgence due to increased focus on renewable energy sources. This is supported by the advancement of battery technology.

The necessity of EV’s- The impact on climate change & carbon emissions has forced industry & governments all over the world to the sustainable development of Electrical Vehicles. Government incentives to increase the adoption of EV technology were first introduced in the United States & Europe in the early 2000s. This led to the development & growth of the EV sector, with emphasis on the advancement of technology & affordability.

In 2021, the international energy agency said the governments should do more to meet the climate goals. One estimate states that global Electrical vehicle sales may increase from 2% in 2016 to 30% by 2030.

History of EV’s: In the 1800s, though there were some trials on electrical vehicles. But in 1902, the Studebaker Automobile company in America started the business of electric vehicles. But due to the cost-effective gasoline vehicles assembly lines by the Ford Motor Company, declined the demand for electric vehicles significantly. Due to the limitation of storage capacity of electrical batteries at that time, electric cars do not gain much popularity.

Development: The emergence of the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) led to the development of electrical vehicles.

In 1995, General Motors introduced the EV1.

Interestingly there was a lot of opposition to electric cars by various segments.  A movie made on the subject in 2005–2006 was titled Who Killed the Electric Car? and released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics in 2006. The film explores the roles of automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and the public, and each of their roles in limiting the deployment and adoption of this technology.

The important breakthrough came with the Lithium-ion battery invented in 1980, which was instrumental in developing vehicles capable of long-distance travel.

In the early 21st century, the environmental impact of fossil fuel-based vehicles renewed the interest in Electrical vehicles.  The carbon footprint & the emission of EVs differ from fossil fuel-based vehicles depending on the source they use for electricity generation.  This can be fossil fuel, solar energy, wind energy, nuclear energy, or any combination of these.

The electricity is stored in a battery in the vehicle. A key advantage of electric vehicles is regenerative braking, which recovers kinetic energy, typically lost during friction braking as heat, as electricity is restored to the onboard battery.

The Different Types of Electric Vehicles

• Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) …
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)
• Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)

The Powerhouse: Modern-day electric vehicles use Lithium-Ion batteries. These batteries have a higher energy density, longer life span & higher power density. The factors in design include safety, thermal breakdown & durability.

Electric cars need 6 main components to operate:

• A battery packs.
• A power inverter.
• An electric motor.
• An onboard battery charger.
• Battery Management System.
• Charging port.

The EV charging station comprises:

•  An Electric Vehicle charger, Power Grid, Facility Meter, Energy Controller, Software platform, Network operating center, and other relevant components

Efficiency:

EVs convert over 59-62% of grid energy to the wheels. Conventional gasoline vehicles convert only some 17%–21%

Environment effect of the EV’s: EV’s does not emit smoke. Electric cars have been promoted as the ultimate solution to global warming, but just a few percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions can be traced back to energy consumption for personal transportation.

The business Potential: Setting up the EV charging stations:

The easiest way to maximize revenue from EV charging stations is to bill customers for their use. Especially in areas where chargers are in high demand, customers are willing to pay for charging capabilities on the road.

The 3 Levels of EV Charging Stations

Level 1: Standard Standalone Plug

Level 2: Upgraded Outlet for EVs and Large Appliances

Level 3+: DC Fast Charging

EV’s in India:

The Electric Vehicle Industry in India is a growing industry. The central and state governments have launched schemes and incentives to promote electric mobility in the country and some regulations and standards are also in place. While the country stands to benefit in a large way by switching its transport from IC engines to electric motor-powered, there are challenges like lack of charging infrastructure, high initial cost, and lack of electricity produced from renewable energy. Still, e-commerce companies, car manufacturers, app-based transportation network companies and mobility solution providers have entered the sector and are slowly building up electric car capacity and visibility

India unveiled the ‘National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020’ in 2013 to address the issues of national energy security, vehicular pollution, and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities. Reiterating its commitment to the Paris Agreement, the Government of India has plans to make a major shift to electric vehicles by 2030

National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, 2020

The auto industry contributes 22% to the manufacturing GDP. With the help of the new Manufacturing Policy, the contribution of manufacturing to the overall economy will increase to 25% by the year 2022. The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan targets 30% of EV penetration in India by 2030. The government aims to have EV sales accounting for 30% of private cars, 70% for commercial vehicles, and 80% for two- and three-wheelers by 2030 as there is an immediate need to decarbonize the transport sector

Some of the fully Electric cars in India:

• Hyundai Kona Electric
• Tata Tigor EV
• Tata Nexon EV
• Mahindra e20
• Mahindra e verito
• Mercedes Benz EQC
• Morris Garage ZS EV

Motorbikes & Scooters

• Revolt Motors RV 400 & RV 300
• Bajaj Chetak
• Hero Electric Photon
• Ampere by Greeves
• TVS iQube
• Ola S1 & S1 Pro

RTO Rules on EV’s

According to the RTO Rules for electric vehicles in India, a driver’s license is required so that the person with the license can drive the vehicle. … Vehicles with a top speed of less than or higher than 25 km/h and/or a maximum output of 250 W do not require a driving license.

In more good news for OEMs and prospective EV customers, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has notified that EVs will ‘be exempted from paying a fee for the issue or renewal of registration certificates and assignment of the new registration mark. It is valid for 15 years from the date of issuance and after expiry can be renewed for five years.01-Jun-2021

Zero-emission EVs (BEVs) are a zero-rated standard tax for both the first year and all subsequent years. That means you don’t pay any road tax on a pure electric vehicle.

The major Charging station providers in India are

1. Tata Power
   1. Amara Raja
   1. Delta Electronics India
   1. ABB India
   1. Mass Tech

Number of electric vehicles

According to figures provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, till July 19, 2021, 5.20 lakh electric vehicles had been registered in the country.

Charging infrastructure

As of now, there are 427 installed charging stations for electric vehicles across the country, out of which 77 are located on major national highways while 350 of them are situated across seven states and two union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh. Work underway to set up EV charging stations at 22,000 of 70,000 petrol pumps in the country:

Benefits of Electrical vehicles:

• Electric vehicles are around 3-5 times more efficient than internal combustion vehicles in utilizing energy. Even if electric vehicles run on electricity produced from fossil fuels, the overall efficiency of electric vehicles is still higher and the pollution is less, because large thermal power plants are much more efficient than IC engines, and it is easier to control emissions from power plants than vehicle engines.
• Electric vehicles save energy by regenerative braking. Around 30%-70% of the energy used for propulsion can be recovered, with higher percentages applicable to stop-and-go city driving
• 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.
• Aspects related to global warming needs a shift to automobile solutions that reduce / do not produce greenhouse gas emissions. If electric vehicles run on electricity produced from non-polluting sources of energy like hydro, solar, wind, tidal and nuclear, they reduce emissions due to vehicles almost to zero.
• India can become a global provider for clean mobility solutions and processes that are affordable and scalable.
• People living in some Indian cities are being affected by noise pollution. Some of the Indian cities have the worst noise pollution levels in the world. Electric vehicles are much quieter and may contribute to a reduction in noise pollution levels in the cities

• Electric vehicles have much fewer moving parts as compared to vehicles with IC engines. Thus, being simpler, they are cheaper and easier to maintain
• Electric motors can deliver high torque at low speeds. As a result, electric vehicles deliver much better performance while starting off and on slopes than IC engine-powered vehicles

Conclusion:  Electric vehicles are the future of mobility providing cleaner, greener, safer solutions, thus helping the environment to breathe easily again.