Reshaping Mobility

By 2030, India will have at least seven mega cities with a population of over 10 million and nearly 50 cities that are at least a million strong. Sustainable mobility solutions will be needed, which is where technology will make a big difference. India has also made commitments for climate action and clean energy development. So, sustainable mobility is a need rather than a want, and it is imperative to develop a widely accepted and available ecosystem that supports electric vehicles, says Pawan Goenka

- Pawan Goenka

The common narrative, when it comes to adoption of electric mobility in India is that it will be disruptive. Together with shared economy and connected automobiles, we anticipate a tremendous upheaval in the automotive industry. Not too far in the future, we see an enormous change in the way people and cargo move. What’s heartening is that this new era of mobility will cause a positive disruption.

At present, there are many questions raised on electric mobility: charging infrastructure, clean and sustainable energy options, access to lithium reserves, range anxiety, wellto-wheel analysis, shifting of dependence from fossil fuels to metals and rare earths, government subsidies and more. All of them are valid. But they tend to derail the main reason why we need sustainable mobility — India’s critical need as well as its commitment to climate action and clean energy development.

Power of Innovation

No one has seen the future, but that does not mean we cannot make informed decisions and act accordingly. For example, when we start work on an all-new vehicle, we have to anticipate and predict how it will be received by customers on an average four years later. Similarly, for sustainable mobility solutions, we know that the way forward is electric. It’s just that the lead time for customer acceptance is longer. Disrupting the 130-year-old automotive industry – comprising not just OEMs but vast supplier networks, distribution partners as well as other important stakeholders – is obviously not going to be an overnight phenomenon. But the building blocks are being put in place.