Karnataka: Incentivise purchase of electric vehicles
BENGALURU : Karnataka must focus on creating demand for electric vehicles (EVs). That was the consensus view at the discussion on e-mobility held as part of Reboot Karnataka on Friday. Reboot Karnataka, organised by TOI in association with Karnataka Udyog Mitra, is an effort to understand how the state can get back to robust growth following setbacks caused by the pandemic. SBI is the event’s banking partner and Scripbox the investment partner.
The state was the first in the country to come out with an EV policy. But that policy of 2017 focused on manufacturing EVs and creating infrastructure for them. “We now need to focus equally on creating demand,” said RK Misra, cofounder of electric bike rental venture Yulu.
Shalini Rajneesh, additional chief secretary for planning in the Karnataka government, said it was necessary to increase the subsidy for EVs, especially given the fall in demand for automobiles.
Rajesh Gowda, MD of Bescom, noted that despite government incentives for EV manufacture and infrastructure installation, few entrepreneurs have come forward. “It maybe because the cost of EVs is too high. Now that the government has allowed sale of electric cars without batteries, and if battery replacement can happen like gas cylinders, then it will boost demand,” he said.
Cmdr. Vinod Kumar, head of strategy, Baghirathi Group, which provides the Ryds e-cab service, said one way to create demand is to mandate corporates to ensure a certain minimum number of EVs in their employee transport fleets.
Misra said schools should be mandated to make their entire fleet of buses electric in the next ten years.
Chetan Maini, co-founder and vice-chairman of SUN Mobility and who had pioneered EVs in India with the Reva car, said his company has developed a battery swapping technology and business model that is currently being rolled out. A partnership with IOC has just been announced. An EV can go into an IOC fuel station, and swap its battery in two minutes.
On the heavy dependence on China for EV components, almost all panelists said it is possible to indigenise as demand for EVs rise. Maini said motors, controllers, chargers and converters can be done in India in 12-18 months, and battery cells in 24 months, if we start now.
Source : timesofindia
