Bhoomika Singh
Since 2020, the world EV day is observed on September 9th, which was an initiative launched by sustainability media company GreenTV. World EV Day is a global movement that is driving change collectively. A day to celebrate electric mobility and to accelerate the transition to sustainable transportation through consumer, business, and policy outcomes.
This year, the initiative continues to ask businesses across the world how they will #DriveChange to support the shift to electric mobility. The day was also mentioned in the UK parliament this year and was celebrated by the White House’s top climate advisor.
Global EV scenario
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) global EV outlook 2022, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) has doubled from the previous year to a new high of 6.6 million in 2021. Furthermore, global electric car sales continued to rise strongly in 2022, with two million sold in the first quarter, up 75 per cent from the same period in 2021.
China led the increase in EV sales in 2021, accounting for half of the total growth, followed by Europe and America. Despite the fact that electric vehicle sales continue to break records, mineral supply constraints are looming, as much more work is needed to support charging infrastructure and heavy-duty vehicles.
Where India stands?
EV sales are still lagging in other emerging and developing economies, such as Brazil, India, and Indonesia, where less than 0.5 per cen of car sales are electric, according to the IEA.
However, EV sales in India more than doubled in several regions in 2021, paving the way for a faster market uptake by 2030 if supportive investments and policies are in place. According to data available from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India has a total of 13,92,265 EVs on its roads as of 3rd August 2022. Furthermore, the sale of EVs in FY 2021-22 has more than tripled when compared to the sale of EVs in FY 2020-21, which was 1,34,460.
According to experts, the EVs can play a major role in reviving the economy of India and making it pollution-free. To boost EV adoption in India, govt already has a number of policies in place that could hasten the transition to cleaner and more efficient technologies. Subsidies for gasoline and diesel were phased out in the early 2010s, and EV subsidies were introduced in 2019.
Commenting on the importance of World EV Day, Prasad Sreeram, Co-founder & CEO of COGOS, an AI-led Logistics platform says, “Climate change is real, according to the UN we have less than eight years to act to prevent irreversible damage to our climate. At this critical point in time, we need to make sustainability a part of our life and one of the green energy practices is to Adopt EVs,”
“The current numbers in vehicle registrations show greater acceptance of EVs in India and with PLI, FAME, and other schemes from Govt, there would be steeper price reductions in the future creating a positive cycle of EV adaption. On this World EV day, we at COGOS are doubling down on our commitment to digitally transform the city logistics towards sustainability by strengthening the EV ecosystem and greater EV deployment.”
Also Read: Glimpses of future mobility: EVs would be the first to become autonomous
Weighing in, Anmol Singh Jaggi, CEO and Co-founder of BluSmart adds, “EVs are responsible for considerably lower emissions over their lifetime than conventional (internal combustion engine) vehicles. I believe India can adopt electrification strongly and steadily. We have experienced the cost of EVs declining while the range has been on a steady rise. Now anyone can consider buying an EV and reap the benefits.”
