Driving A New World Order

Context: Electric vehicles herald a new revolution on the road, which is likely to mark the end of OPEC. India must plan for its place in this order.

Evolution of electric vehicles

• In 1880, William Morrison, a chemist from Iowa, United States, helped bring to life a six-seater electric
• By 1900, electric cars accounted for over one-third of the vehicles sold in the US.

Clash between electric and fossil fuel dependent vehicles: While the electric vehicles came prior to fossil-fuelled vehicles (Karl Benz got patent in 1886), their usage was limited.

• The forward march of electric cars was stopped by the mass production of the very reasonably priced Ford automobile, owned by John

Impact of basing our transportation on fossil fuel-based vehicles

• Oil cartelisation: With the dependence of humanity on fossil fuels, a new international power order also emerged

         — countries that exported oil.

• The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) comprises Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and
• Contribution towards pollution: While many factors contribute to the polluted air, skies and human lungs of northern India, vehicular pollution bears substantial
  • India has the dubious distinction of having nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the

EVs in India

• Growth and Policy Initiatives:
  • In 2013, the Government of India formulated the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan that committed to ensuring that by 2030, at least 30 per cent of vehicles on our streets would be
  • Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme in 2019 commits to providing incentives in terms of subsidies and supporting technology to encourage the manufacturing and purchase of electric
  • Rising private sector: The EV market in India is projected to reach $700 million in 2025, a dramatic jump from

                 $71 million in 2017 — a 10-fold increase in under a decade.

• Lack of charging infrastructure in India: It takes 12 hours to fully charge a vehicle currently, and moreover, there are only 427 charging stations around the

Conclusion: India must plan for its place in this order — with better-charging infrastructure, battery-making factories and smart incentives for car companies and consumers to go electric. Most importantly, we must have an uninterrupted electricity supply.