Why Are Electric Vehicles Becoming More Popular?

 Why Are Electric Vehicles Becoming More Popular?

Challenges of Electric Vehicles in India: 

Electric vehicles emit zero tailpipe emissions, directly preventing air pollution and reducing fuel imports, which will boost the economy. For this reason, the Indian government has taken various practical steps to increase the use of electric vehicles so that the transport sector can use 30% electric vehicles by 2030.

To achieve this goal, the government has to go through some difficulties or challenges. The government has taken necessary measures to eliminate them. Let's take a look at the challenges first:

Limited model and high price:

Customers see different models of cars, get to know their details and choose the car according to their preference. The variety of electric vehicle models is very limited but the price is much higher than conventional diesel and gasoline powered vehicles. On the other hand, conventional diesel and petrol powered vehicles have many designs and models and are much cheaper. The average price of an electric car starts from around Rs 12 lakh whereas the average price of a conventional diesel and petrol powered car starts from around Rs 5 lakh. So,the wide price gap and shortage of models have become a big obstacle for the growth of the use of electric vehicles.

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High initial cost:

Initially, electric cars are much more expensive than petrol and diesel engine driven cars. Which is a huge deterrent for any potential buyer. Battery controlled electric vehicles are extremely expensive due to the high cost of batteries. And this battery is the main driving force of the electric car. The power capacity of these batteries decreases over time, resulting in increased maintenance costs and a gradual decrease in driving range.

Battery Technology: 

Electric vehicles mainly rely on batteries. This battery technology requires lithium-ion and a certain amount of minerals that have to be imported. So, India is not self-sufficient in battery technology. This is a major hindrance to the increase in car prices. Not only this, car charging takes much longer than re-fuelling of petrol and diesel vehicles.

Range anxiety: 

Range anxiety refers to the apprehension or concern if the battery power is depleted before reaching the destination. This fear works for potential buyers who are used to long journeys. Again, the capacity of the battery decreases with long use, so EV cars cannot cover the same distance as before. Or those potential buyers whose regions have less battery recharging facilities are reluctant to buy EVs.

Environmental concerns:

The use of environmentally friendly electric vehicles is very practical to control pollution. Due to this the use of this vehicle has increased to a great extent. But in reality, the majority of electricity for these electric vehicles is generated from coal and burning fossil fuels. The environment is re-polluted as a result of generating electricity in this manner. So the way to get rid of this problem is to use renewable power resources like solar power, hydro power, wind power as much as possible.

Inadequate charging infrastructure:

India currently has a poor charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.This can make finding charging stations difficult and inconvenient for EV owners. One way to address this issue is to educate the public about the myths and facts surrounding the charging station industry.

Consumer Behaviour:

When the new generation kids think about buying a new car, they are influenced by many factors. Such as innovation, sustainability and environmental conservation.

Consumers count on fuel costs if they switch to electric vehicles.

How much money will they save in the long run? So e-vehicle manufacturers are able to provide consumers with an estimate of future savings, but will actually gain the customer's trust and influence their purchase decision. Before  buying an e-vehicle, what kind of benefits can they get from the government, how much GST discount will they get, etc. also taking consideration of their purchase decision. If the doubt is clear, they will lean towards electric vehicles.

Research has shown that consumers are more interested in buying electric cars because these cars are truly environmentally friendly and do not emit any polluting air into the environment.

Public awareness:

The general public is not aware of the environmental and social importance of using electric vehicles. Most people know that these cars are expensive, not high capacity, difficult to recharge etc. So if the awareness among people is not increased, the growth of e-vehicle usage will be hampered.

Government initiatives to promote EV adoption:

Electric vehicle sales in India in 2021 were 12,000, in 2022 it increased 4 times to 48,000. Sales of electric vehicles have grown steadily despite various setbacks. Due to this the Government of India has taken some necessary steps. Let's take a look at them:-

Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV (FAME) II: scheme: The objective of this scheme is to reduce dependence on fuel oil and make the environment pollution free. The scheme also aims to raise the capacity of electric vehicles and batteries to international standards.

Not only that, some incentives have been given to the owners and buyers of the vehicles. For example, the opportunity to buy cars at subsidized prices, discounts on road tax and car registration, etc.

The Move for Electric Vehicle campaign:

Through this campaign, the main objective is to increase awareness among people about the benefits of using electric vehicles and its far-reaching effects and to help entrepreneurs to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations.

The Ministry of Power, in its revised guidelines, has proposed that there should be one charging station for every 3 km. of cities and towns and every 25 km on both sides of the highway.

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Policy:

Through which to encourage electric vehicle manufacturers and allied units with some facilities.

The National Mission on Transformative Mobility policy:

The scheme aims to promote eco-friendly electric vehicles and create an enabling environment for setting up giga-scale battery manufacturing units in India.

The Vehicle Scrappage Policy:

Scrapping old and expired vehicles through this policy and encouraging vehicle owners to purchase new electric cars with financial incentives along with vehicle registration and tax waivers.

Conclusion 

Despite all these obstacles, the efforts and initiatives of the Indian government to establish electric vehicles are quite commendable and some more time is needed to overcome this situation. Increasing awareness among the people and continuous improvement in technology will be able to overcome the hurdles in the introduction and establishment of electric vehicles and hope electric vehicles will dominate the Indian market in its glory and control the environmental pollution.