Shashwat DC
Of late, discussions on environment have become pretty mainstream. Thanks to all those big-buck Hollywood films that invariably have humanity pitted against the elements, and nature striking back, discussions on Arctic ice melt or El Nino are becoming as mainstream as a latest Bollywood film or a political debacle. And in the overall climate-change discussion pie, the electric vehicle or EV almost emerges like a knight in gleaming armour.
EVs have been around for quite some time now. Apparently, the first one was created by a British inventor back in 1884. An article in the New York Times in 1911 had stated that the electric car has long been recognized as "ideal" because it was cleaner, quieter and much more economical than gasoline-powered cars. Sadly, from then on it went into a long hibernation of sorts; a hibernation that almost lasted 7 decades. In 1990s, interest in EV revived, with companies like General Motors and others coming out with their own models. And it was not only the advanced markets that were talking EV. In India, an enterprising entrepreneur Chetan Maini set up shop and manufactured an EV named Reva. Primarily the push was from a cost perspective, namely, how EV is cheaper to operate than a conventional petrol (or diesel) car, but now the shift is more towards an ecological purview.
As a society and nation, as we become more and more aware about the karmic and carbonic repercussions of our actions, things that don't harm the environment and yet indulge us in luxury are much in demand. EV happens to be one of them. India is the world's 5th largest CO2 emitter globally, accounting for some 5% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. The numbers of cars on Indian roads keep multiplying. Some 1.81 million passenger cars were sold in 2013 alone; emissions from the transportation sector are becoming a rising concern.
In fact, the Government of India launched a National Mission on Electric Mobility in 2013 that targeted a deployment of 5-7 million hybrid and electric vehicles in the country by the year 2020. Subsequently, schemes were launched to promote EV uptake. According to a report by the Clean Energy Ministerial's Electric Vehicles Initiative, India could save 4.8 billion barrels of oil and avoid 270 million tons of CO2 emissions by 2030 if Indian drivers buy electric cars at the rate set by the government targets. Thus, if things are to be believed an EV India will be a cleaner and greener India, right? Well, not really and not necessarily. And here's why it is so.
While, there is no disputing that EVs do not burn combustible fuel and thereby not emit smoke, but that does not mean that there are no CO2 emissions that are involved. Forget not, that the car runs on electric charge, and currently as some 60% of electricity is generated by burning coal in India, the EV virtually runs on coal, which has a much bigger and disastrous footprint than does petrol and diesel. Even on a manufacturing comparison, an EV has a much larger eco-footprint, after all it runs on lithium battery, which happens to be a precious metal with limited ability.
Thus, in an ironical way, EVs result in more manufacturing emissions than traditional petrol vehicles, and have reduced lifetime mileage, which means per kilometre their manufacturing emissions are greater.
There is an interesting study done by an independent research group, Shrink That Footprint , titled Shades of Green. In it there are comparisons about how emissions by EVs differ from one country to another, based on how the electricity is generated. Thus for instance, driving an EV in Paraguay is the best thing you can do, since much of their electricity is generated through hydropower (70 gms of CO2 per km). Meanwhile, considering that we burn lots of coal for electricity, India is at the other extreme of the equation at some 370 gms of CO2 emissions per km. The study further goes to compare emissions of an EV to a traditional petrol and diesel vehicle. Thus, the petrol equivalent of emissions would be 8 kms per litre, and for diesel it is at 10 kms per litre. So, if your petrol or diesel vehicle gives a better mileage than 8 and 10 kms respectively, it is better than an EV in terms of CO2 emissions.
Hence, the eco-affectivity of EV is dependent on its energy source, and were you to plug the EV into the Indian grid, its emissions are no better than a petrol or a diesel car.
Yet, the equation can change dramatically were the source of power to change. For instance, Mahindra Reva (having bought out Chetan Maini's company) launched the new e20 electric car, with an optional solar charger that can be installed in a garage. Though costly to acquire upfront, the savings in terms of fuel cost is a sure winner. But what is even better that when the EV is charged on solar power, it is phenomenally better when it comes to emissions. It is then that the true potential of the EV is realised.
So, while there is a need to promote EV, the government should take a keen interest in creating a greener eco-system that supports the uptake. We should have more such solar-panel chargers in public places, in 5-star hotels, in office spaces, for the EVs to be charged when parked. It is only then that the EV could be one of the solutions in cutting down our CO2 footprint, else it will just be a fancy fad that's also a bit of a green-wash.
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