Tryst with Electric Vehicles

The speech by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on the night of Indian independence continues to be one of finest pieces of dialogue —still relevant and can even be put in various contexts. While we indulge in this impudent move, it is also pertinent to highlight the very fact that India's tryst with electric vehicles (EV) if not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially, has been fulfilled.

How it all began?

It is really difficult to trace the roots of EVs in India. For cars, it was a small startup from Bengaluru which went by the name, Reva. One of its first iterations, the REVAi became what was standard for EVs for the most parts of the globe. Reva wasn't a regular tiny hatch; it was a car that drove 120 kilometres in a single charge. Reva appealed to the monotony, the early thinkers, planet savers, gas price haters and the early adapters. In 2006, REVAi, or as the world called it G-Wiz, became the world's best-selling Electric Vehicle, and by 2008, the company managed to sell over 950 G-Wiz electric cars, making it the UK's best-selling electric car of all time at that time.

A lot of us know the rest of the story of Mahindra acquiring Reva and launching the second generation of the REVAi as Mahindra E20, which was one of the hot favourites of modern self-drive services; Mahindra later discontinued it promising an update, thy name is E20 Plus, soon. While an Indian company put EVs on the global map; at the time EVs weren't for everyone.

Until the late 2000s, electric cars had a reputation of being ugly and slow. This was until a small Silicon Valley startup, Tesla Motors, decided to go ahead and not only challenge the thought but even change it. It also promised to make a luxury electric sports car that could go more than 200 miles on a single charge.

The result was the Tesla Roadster, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car that was produced from 2008 to 2012. The Roadster was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production for sale in the United States. A replacement for the Roadster is expected for 2020. Tesla sold about 2,450 Roadsters in over 30 countries and most of the last Roadsters were sold in Europe and Asia during the fourth quarter of 2012.

This was followed by the Model S, a luxury sedan with oodles of power under the hood. The car not only accelerated from 0-100kmph in 4.2 seconds reaching the territories of Italian hyper cars but also scored a five-star rating in NCAP safety test. Similar to the car's Ludacris mode, it sold even more ludicrously, it was then followed by an SUV, the Tesla Model X, and then came along Tesla Model 3, a rather budget-friendly Tesla for the masses.

Innovation in the automotive space made Tesla one of the biggest automakers in the US. Mind you, this country is the birthplace of automakers like Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GM and several giants. The need for electric cars became a norm towards the latter half of the 2010s. Owning an electric was the most hipster thing you could do, or rather still do.

Current scenario in India

By now, the world has realised that electrics are the future, while India waited to be overwhelmed by the Western Influence and it is only in the new decade that electric vehicles are slowly becoming mainstream in India. Early last year, Kona Electric became the first electric offering from the Korean automaker, Hyundai. Around this time, commercial meant Mahindra E-Verito and Tata Tigor EV was already existing. The latest offerings in the space now are from MG and Tata with ZS EV and Nexon EV, respectively while a dozen others are soon joining the bandwagon leading towards the future. The Auto Show 2020 also showcased several electric concepts from several automakers with Tata hogging the largest limelight with at least three EVs from the stables of the Indian automaker.

But it is going to take time. Electric cars are not going to be an overnight sensation for India while for countries in Europe and the American continents it has become a rather normal sight. One of the biggest hurdles currently faced by EV owners in India is range anxiety. For most EV owners taking a car out for a long spin find it risky considering charger booths are at home and India is yet to have a sizeable number of charging stations. At present, there are about 250 public charging stations operating in India which is really meagre compared to the number of petrol stations.

On the bright side, while full tank on petrol vehicles cost customers anywhere between Rs 2000 to Rs 3000, cost of charging, including the cost of electricity and the overheads (parking charges, recovery of equipment cost, etc.) for electric cars will be between Rs 160 and Rs 200 for a full charge. Apart from this, unlike petrol and diesel cars which needs constant maintenance and services, the servicing for EVs are way cheaper and far too less occasional, making electric cars a steal deal. The Indian electric vehicle infrastructure market is also touted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CARG) of over 40% during a forecast period 2019-2025.

In January this year, the Indian government under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) scheme has been keen on putting electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the nation. The government is aiming at setting up 2,636 electric vehicle charging stations in 62 cities across 24 states and union territories by 2023. Out of these charging stations, 1,633 will be fast-charging stations, and 1,003 will be slow charging stations. The government also plans to touch 14,000 charging stations across the nation soon. And it doesn't stop there, the incentives on electric vehicles are high currently in India, with an Income Tax return of Rs 2,00,000- 1,50,000 on owing electric vehicles. On that front, the country has been progressing at a much higher pace.

While an Indian company was among the first in the world to disrupt the automotive market with an all-electric car, India now has a lot to catch up with. It is important again that India wakes up to life and freedom while leaving fossil fuels behind. It needs her independence again.

"Long years ago...we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially."