EV push: Why India needs to step up its electric vehicle drive; check US, China and Indias public charger ratio

As the world looks to alternative sources of fuel - Electric Vehicles (EV) lead the way. Petrol and Diesel prices are rising and it is also triggering climate change crisis.

To battle the crisis, the Indian government is stepping up the incentives and production facilities of EVs at a rapid pace.

Talking on the same topic to Zee Business, Pavan Choudary, Chairman, Blue Circle said that to increase the acceptance of EV, it is necessary to boost the charging infrastructure.

He also said that  India needs to install 46,000 EV charging stations by 2030 to reach the global benchmark. 

He further added that EV to Public charger ratio is not as it is supposed to be in India. He quoted figures and said that in China and the Netherlands the ratio is 6, while in the US it is 19.

At the same time, the EV to public charger ratio in India is 135. This means one charger per 135 EV in India as compared to 6 in China, Choudary said.

Meanwhile, Dr Akshay Singhal, Founder & CEo, Log9 materials said that people's hesitation with EV will be removed if the battery charging time can be reduced.

For the same, the Log9 company claims to have launched a battery which is charged fully in just 15 minutes. This will be available for 2,3, and 4 wheeler.

Apart from these recommendations, the government of India also has various programs to help accelerate the sale of EVs in the Indian market.

One of the initiatives is e-AMRIT. It is a one-stop portal for creating awareness about electric mobility through Electric Vehicles (EVs) in India. The portal aims to ease the transition from fossil fuel driven vehicles to electric vehicles by providing all information about policies, incentives, charging stations, business requirements.

FAME, or Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric vehicles, is currently India's flagship scheme for promoting electric mobility.

Currently, FAME-II is being implemented for a period of 3 years, eff. 1st April 2019 with a budget allocation of 10,000 Cr.

Some of the incentives provided by FAME are as below.