Soaring Pollution Levels In NCR Scream To Get EVs On Roads Consumers have realised the benefits of EVs, aside from zero emissions, which include lower operating costs
By Jeetender Sharma •
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India continues to be one of the nations to have the most polluted cities in the world. In 2020, 35 metros in India featured in the world's 50 most polluted cities, according to IQAir's 2020 World Air Quality Report, which gathered data for 106 countries. Further, New Delhi was ranked as the world's most polluted capital for the third straight year in 2020, according to IQAir.
With vehicles returning on roads post lockdowns, the clear skies have vanished and air quality dwindled. The focus on environmental pollution has taken center stage. The North Indian region, particularly, sees extremely high particulate matter pollution and has turned ambient air as unhealthy and toxic, making health risks severe for everyone.
With air pollution and climate change becoming critical concerns, a sustainable friendly approach for public and private transportation. Some sectors have already adopted this and are swiftly moving ahead with e-mobility as a preferred alternative to ICE. In the long run, electrification of cars and scooters will address this problem on a large scale and EVs will comprise a substantial stock of vehicles on the road. The transition to EVs has already begun with two wheelers and three wheelers championing this trend. In fact, pandemic has also accelerated this trend.
Consumers have realised the benefits of EVs, aside from zero emissions, which include lower operating costs, and TCOs. As battery costs continue to decline and manufacturing of EVs becomes localised, affordable EVs are going to be the same as ICEs. The two wheeler market, which is a rapidly expanding space also attracts one of the highest subsidies for their electric counterparts from Delhi Government, as per the Delhi EV policy in 2020. From electric scooters to e-rickshaws and e-autos, the region is increasing its demand for EVs, which is supported by a large policy framework and easy financing options.
The state government and the automotive players are already recognising the need for a new approach to push EV adoption in Delhi-NCR. The battery vehicle registration policies, and FAME II are steps in the right direction for an indigenous supplier and manufacturing ecosystem and are self-reliant in EVs. The Delhi EV policy last year and the recently announced the Switch Delhi campaign has been a great endeavor to showcase the momentum towards transition to Electric vehicles. The initiative is one of a kind, driving mass awareness around the benefits of EVs. This will in turn encourage people and businesses to opt for EVs in the future. With the effort to put a supportive ecosystem in place, it will not be surprising that National Capital is able to achieve its ambitious milestone of registering 5 lakh EVs by 2024. To bring a material improvement in the state of air pollution, going forward we shall witness a change in the overall sentiment towards EV penetration in the capital region.
Making a shift to e-mobility is the next step in not just Delhi, but India's mobility journey. We are at the forefront of a technological revolution and EVs in India, EVs will provide willing businesses with numerous opportunities to develop and stay at the forefront of the industry.
