Relevance: GS-3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways

Key Phrases: Decarbonisation of the Transport Sector, Shared Mobility, Scrapping Older Vehicles, Scalability Challenges, ESG Non-compliant, Energy Security, Energy Intensive Processes, Green Mobility, Hybrids Electric Vehicles

Why in News?

• Electric Vehicles (EV) are widely considered as the solution for the decarbonisation of the transport sector and thus, a panacea for all ills involving vehicular emissions.
• However, emissions can also be cut significantly through shared mobility and scrapping older vehicles.

Key Highlights:

• India has the international commitment of reducing its carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 (from 2005 base levels).
• The government has thus, set an ambitious target that 30 per cent of all passenger vehicles sold by 2030 to be EVs.
• Experts expect this to be around 8-10 per cent considering the scalability challenges involving charging stations and continuation of subsidies.
• Thus, it can be assumed that by 2030, almost 90 per cent of all cars sold will still have internal combustion engines (ICE).
• The existing cars (non-EVs) on the road will continue emitting greenhouse gases at levels that will make it difficult for India to meet its obligations.

What are the issues involved with the EVs?

1. Lack of Clean Source of Power for charging EVs: The EVs do not contribute to the overall reduction in green-house gas (GHG) emission if the source of power that charges the EV batteries is not clean (more 60 per cent of India’s power is generated from coal, a dirty fuel).
2. ESG Non-compliant: Mining of metals used in EV batteries involves energy intensive processes and measures that are not often ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) compliant.
3. Mismatch between Vehicle Mix and Electric Mobility penetration: India’s vehicle mix is such that EVs cannot be the only solution as the bulk of the diesel consumption (almost 40 per cent), for instance, is by trucks and inter-state buses and for them, there is no solution involving electric mobility for them.
4. Affordability: The country needs to keep in mind affordability and energy security too as India’s per capita income (in PPP terms) is a tenth of Norway or the US. Thus, the solution that these countries develop may be too costly for India.
5. Energy Security: The country is weak when it comes to energy security as it is almost entirely dependent externally for its crude oil needs.

Can India use the transformation happening in the mobility space to build energy security?

• EVs may not offer this alternative as the nation does not have access to lithium (a key component of an EV battery) reserves.
• China has the largest share of the lithium reserves.
• In order to embrace electric mobility as our main option, India may have to shift its energy dependence from West Asia to China which is really an unfortunate prospect for India.

What are the various government efforts towards Green Mobility?

• The technologies involving green mobility are still evolving and there is a chance that a better fuel source may emerge for India in the near future.
• Therefore, the government is rightly pursuing multiple options -
  • bio-fuel (ethanol and compressed bio-gas) including flex-fuel vehicles,
  • compressed natural gas (CNG),
  • hydrogen
  • hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) apart from EVs.
• Each of these will have a role to play and would be acceptable to different category of vehicles.

1. Ethanol blending:
   • The nation has achieved 10 per cent blending and a target has been set for 20 per cent by 2025.
   • Ethanol-blending involves reduction in emission at almost no higher cost for consumers (both fuel and vehicle price).
   • Availability of ethanol is the key and for this, the government has allowed direct conversion of cane juice to ethanol.
   • This has also helped India handle its sugar surplus effectively.
   • Ethanol blending has improved the cash flow of the sugar industry which has also benefited farmers.
   • Ethanol capacity is being ramped up and the government is already pushing for flex-fuel engines (they will cost more than ICE vehicles but lesser than EVs) that can use a much larger proportion of ethanol.
2. Gas:
   1. CNG Vehicles:
      • CNG vehicles are a low-cost option in driving decarbonisation.
      • They do not cost much higher than ICE vehicles and emit much lesser GHGs.
      • The government is increasing the availability of CNG and by 2030, 17,000 plus fuel stations are planned from the present 4,500.
   2. Compressed bio-gas (CBG):
      • It is generated from farm waste.
      • CBG plants can procure farm waste, convert it to CBG and supply it to nearby fuel stations.
      • This too will help the rural economy and cut emissions that are generated by burning the waste (and thus is carbon negative).
3. Hybrid electric vehicles:
   • They cost more than an ICE vehicle but less than an EV and cut emissions by 40 percent.
   • They charge and recharge continuously, thus, they obviate the need for charging stations and can be scaled up faster.
4. Hydrogen:
   • Vehicles powered by hydrogen, are at least a decade away.
   • They appear to be most promising for India in terms of emission obligations (zero emission) and energy security (zero imports).
   • The government must put all its energy and work on a mission mode to develop the technology and capacity to produce green hydrogen at an affordable cost.

Way Forward:

1. Till an ideal technology is developed, multiple fuels will have to drive India’s decarbonisation path such as :
   • EVs (2w/3w/ intra-city public transport)
   • Bio-fuel (small cars, trucks and inter-city buses)
   • Hybrid electric vehicles (large passenger vehicles)
   • CNG/CBG (Intra-city buses/small PVs).
2. Scrapping of old vehicles as one 15-year-old truck’s emission equals 14 new ones.

Conclusion:

• Emission control is an issue that is much beyond the purview of the auto sector and involves the society, city and community.
• Therefore, a conscious effort should be made to educate every Indian that decarbonisation is a challenge that can be solved only with multiple technologies and cannot be done without their whole-hearted involvement.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. EVs appear to be a promising solution to the problem of decarbonisation of India’s transport sector, since its tail pipe emission is zero, but there are other issues involved which makes the decarbonisation process difficult. Examine. Also, discuss the various efforts taken by the government towards green mobility?