According to leading data and analytics company GlobalData, as the world approaches peak oil and starts witnessing the consequences of climate change, "electric vehicles have emerged as an alternative to bring about a transportation transformation."
Against this backdrop, the global EV market recorded an impressive 54 percent year-on-year growth last year. In India, the EV market is gaining momentum due to the government's ambitious plans and initiatives.
"However, the country needs a coordinated effort by different sectors to realize its ambitious goal," Global Data warns. - Government policy drives EV deployment
In India, public authorities have made a number of EV-related policy announcements over the past few years showing strong commitment, concrete action and significant ambition for their deployment in the country.
In addition, in early 2018, the Ministry of Power launched the National Electric Mobility Program to focus on creating charging infrastructure and a policy framework to set a target to have more than 30 percent of electric vehicles by 2030.
Meanwhile, many companies such as Mumbai-based electricity utility company Tata Power, Finnish state-owned company Fortum and cab aggregator Ola have started setting up charging stations in their captive facilities or in public places. Solar power developer ACME Group provided Ola with EcoCharge battery swapping and charging stations.
Despite India's ambitious plans and initiatives detailed in India's National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP 2020), there is a lack of consistency among the visions and achievements, which aim to bring about a transformational paradigm shift in the automotive and transportation industry in the country.
"India sold only 22,000 battery electric vehicles in 2016, well short of the sales growth needed to meet the 6-7 million hybrid and electric vehicle sales target by 2020 in the NEMMP 2020. India needs to ensure greater coordination in the deployment of EVs as it moves forward," the statement read.
(Anadolu Agency)