Electric vehicles are modes of transportation that use renewable energy as fuel rather than traditional fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and compressed natural gas. These vehicles may be powered by electricity from off-vehicle sources via a collector system, or they may be equipped with a battery, solar panels, fuel cells, or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity. Electric vehicles include electric bikes, electric cars, electric rickshaws, and so on. Some of the reasons for promoting electric vehicles include pollution, rising fuel demand, global warming, and promoting environmentally friendly modes of transportation.
Having said that, it is critical to understand the entire concept of electric vehicles, including their benefits and drawbacks.
VONG (Voice of New Generation) is an initiative that aims to combat such issues by inspiring and motivating young people to raise concerns for the betterment of the world. We hope to inspire them to become global voices. VONG SDG Café held an impactful discussion on the topic “Future of Electric Vehicles” via the YouTube platform. Ms. Ayushi Jain was the discussion’s guest speaker, who is the Vice President External Relations at MOEVing, which aims to transform the huge market of cars into electric run vehicles entirely.
The discussion aimed to improve understanding of the problem and its mitigation. The host posed a few questions to the speaker. Here is a summary of the “Future of Electric Vehicles” discussion.
Q- How has the experience of driving 30,000 kms in an E.V in a year for you been?
The reason why she decided to purchase and drive an E.V when the market is just on the experiment is the motivation from her parents. That really helped the speaker to become focused and to make it her core strength to work for the cause.
“If you can afford to create change then try to do work that actually creates change”
Q- How did you start working in the sustainable space, what were your education and how did you get started?
The speaker is a chemical engineer by training and currently works with Teach for India. During her time in California, she persuaded the organization to let her work in the waste water segment because she had completed a project on the subject in her final year of engineering. So she began by volunteering for this. She gradually moved into policymaking, which strengthened her core and allowed her to work in the sustainable space.
Q- How did the fascination with E.Vs develop?
While working in California, the speaker rented an electric car and began driving it. Her reasoning for renting an electric vehicle rather than a gas-powered vehicle was that “I will be able to support the cause and influence people to do so only if I adopt and experience it myself.” She has developed an interest in using electric vehicles.
Q-What do you call a good product?
Good products must have a strong value proposition and solve a real problem, be easily understood by users, perform their functions as easily and efficiently as possible, and improve and become more difficult to part with as they are used. A good product in the E.V space would have two characteristics: good technology and strong batteries. A strong battery is essential because it accounts for nearly 30-50 percent of the cost of an E.V. Customers will lose trust in the vehicle if the battery is weak or the technology is outdated.
Q- What is the convenience of using E.V other gasoline run vehicles?
Electric vehicles require less maintenance than internal combustion vehicles because they have fewer moving parts. As a result, the annual cost of running an electric vehicle is much lower. Second, because there are no tailpipe emissions, driving an electric vehicle can help you reduce your carbon footprint. Furthermore, an electric vehicle has significantly lower operating costs than a comparable gasoline or diesel vehicle. Electric vehicles use electricity to charge their batteries rather than fossil fuels like gasoline or diesel.
Q- With respect to travel long distances or on hills what is the reliability of E.V’s in India as compared to California?
In California, companies such as Tesla and BMW have a strong presence in the market for electric vehicles that can easily travel long distances or even to hill stations thanks to powerful batteries and cutting-edge technology. India, on the other hand, has been unable to achieve this due to a lack of charging station infrastructure as well as a lack of customer support.
Q- What is the potential of a 40 minute fast charger to something even fast in the future?
Currently, three and four wheeler manufacturers are developing batteries that can be recharged up to 50-80 percent in 15-20 minutes and have a range of about 100 kilometers. There is a bright future for Indian companies that develop technology that can fully charge a battery in 15-20 minutes. Another option is a battery swap, which is a great idea in which E.V owners can carry an extra battery in case of emergencies to serve as a backup.
Q- What is an average life of lithium batteries used in E.V’s?
The average life of such batteries is 6-7 years. After that, it will not degrade to zero, but will degrade by about 10%, and its efficiency will decrease. As a result, a lithium ion battery has a maximum lifespan of 10-12 years. One thing to keep in mind is that even after losing its efficiency, it will continue to consume the same amount of electricity units as before.
Q- E.V’s are not polluting but the fact that the power which is powering them itself can be polluting, is that really so?
Pollution from such vehicles can be of three types: manufacturing pollution, which involves making batteries from mined metals, and localised production pollution. Second, pollution occurs when the vehicle is powered by lithium ion batteries, electricity, or hydrogen thermal power plants, among other things. Finally, there are no on-road emissions because electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions. According to studies, all three types of combined electric vehicles emit 30% less pollution than conventional vehicles.
Q- Even though electric vehicles are noiseless still it could be dangerous for pedestrians as they don’t know when it’s approaching them and this could lead to serious road accidents, what are your thoughts?
Companies like Ford and GM and many others have filed patents just on replicating noise of vehicles to put in these cars. Yes, it is definitely an issue, but it is the matter of road attentiveness but at the same time noise of a vehicle does matter in a country like India and it is being worked on.
To conclude, A significant infrastructure that is affordable, accessible, and serves all consumer groups, combined with a strong financing ecosystem, policy incentives, and technological advancements, is likely to position the EV market for significant growth over the next decade.
Article by: Jia Sachdeva- VONGLE, Orion Square
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