- The UN climate conference in Glasgow this year saw pledges to transition to electric vehicles, with countries, including India, committing to all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets.
- In the third Clean Energy Talks webinar we will discuss opportunities and challenges in India’s clean mobility plans, policy interventions and whether there is an ecosystem to support the growth of the industry.
- In India, electric vehicles have emerged as a focus area for the government as transitions away from internal combustion vehicles to cut down on emissions.
India has set a target of 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by the end of the decade. At the climate conference COP26 that recently concluded in Glasgow, several countries including India have agreed to work together to promote electric vehicles (EVs) as a means of achieving zero vehicular emissions.
In India, electric vehicles have emerged as a focus area for the government as it transitions away from internal combustion vehicles to cut down on emissions. Consumers in India are becoming more interested in electric vehicles, but widespread acceptance and a shift will take time.
Mongabay-India’s next webinar in its ‘Clean Energy Talks’ series on November 30, threw light on India’s clean mobility plans, transition, and the roadblocks in the journey.
The discussion highlighted the concerns that the automobile industry has when it comes to the rapid transition towards electric mobility.
The panellists included Polash Das, Head eMobility, Convergence Energy Services Limited, Subsidiary of EESL, Ministry of Power, Charu Lata, Lead Consultant, Electric Mobility and Clean Energy, NRDC and Awadhesh Kumar Jha, Executive Director, Fortum Charge and Drive India. The session will be moderated by Mayank Aggarwal, Contributing Editor, Mongabay-India.
The webinar focussed on the challenges in the Indian clean mobility plans, government’s policy interventions, issues related to ecosystem, consumer behaviour and opportunities for the sector. The panellists also spoke on concerns the industry has when it comes to the transition towards electric mobility and their perspectives on how the adoption of EVs could help in India’s climate goals.
Polash Das talked about affordability being a challenge for electric vehicles and that every segment has its own pace of taking off. He said that two- and three-wheelers will have the maximum impact initially and so the initial subsidies are diverted to this segment.
Talking of the challenges of EV industry, Charu Lata highlighted institutional role and policy, charging infrastructure and supply of vehicles as areas that need improvement. However, much progress has happened in the past two years, she noted and lauded India’s targets for clean energy made at COP26.
Awadhesh Jha highlighted that correcting the narrative is an important aspect in the electric vehicle journey and there is a need to shift the emphasis from home charging infrastructure that the government often talks about, to public charging infrastructure.
The Clean Energy Talks also touched upon making the energy sector more inclusive for women, a sustainable supply chain and making mobility choices in rural areas, greener.
More than three years ago, India’s federal think tank, NITI Aayog, urged state governments to frame policies to promote electric vehicles. So far, 14 Indian states have notified their policies. Some north-eastern states, Chhattisgarh and others are yet to draft and release their EV policies while states such as Karnataka and Maharashtra are updating their existing policies which were rolled out a few years ago.
Read more: Is there enough charge yet for India’s electric vehicle plan?
Mongabay-India’s series of talks on clean energy will continue every month and will feature industry specialists, researchers and senior environment journalists. Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on social media @mongabayindia for updates on the next and future webinars.