Can Fame II Bring Fame To Ev's?

In order to offer consumers affordable, durable and efficient electric vechiles, the auto industry is anxiously waiting for a robust and sustainable policy framework

- Avishek Banerjee

INDIA IS OFTEN TOUTED AS THE NEXT BIG electric vehicle (EV) market — set to follow China’s lead. There is a consensus that we need EVs more than ever because they are efficient, emit zero pollution and when adopted by the masses, will contribute to saving billions of taxpayers’ money that is spent on importing fossil fuels. In fact, as per a report by NITI Aayog, EVs can cut India’s energy demand by 64 percent and carbon emissions by 37 percent by 2030.

The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020, announced in 2013, maintains that EVs could achieve national fuel security if India could sell 6-7 million hybrid and electric vehicles year-on-year starting 2020. That is, of course, with government providing fiscal and monetary incentives to manufacturers. The NEMMP envisages a saving of 9,500 million litres of crude oil equivalent to Rs 62,000 crore.

In the run-up to the rollout of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles) India’s second phase — to boost adoption of energy-efficient vehicles — in a month’s time, the auto industry is riddled with apprehensions and doubts over the longterm roadmap that the government is yet to prepare. The industry fears that lack of charging infrastructure and a robust ecosystem are the biggest stumbling blocks to ensuring EVs techno-commercial feasibility.

Though the auto industry hasn’t admitted it, it is confused, anxious, and keen to know the direction the policy framework will take and its impact on them. The anxiety has grown since February 15, after transport minister Nitin Gadkari dismissed the need for a policy on EV (and any fiscal incentives to manufacturers) and instead supported an ‘action plan’ to encourage the manufacture and use of EVs.