Energetica India - June 2020

ELECTRIC VEHICLE E-mobility in India - Technology for sustainable future transport Sustainable mobility is a team sport. We must bring together technology, systems-design methods, and business models to supply better mobility at a low cost to consumers and societies. In 1897, a resident of Calcutta brought the first motorized car to India, reportedly a (French) DeDion. What has changed since then?Nothing much, except the numbers.Around 300 million vehicles are running in every nook and cornerof India now. However,the basic design of automobiles remainsthe same as that of the 1900s - energized by oil, powered by combustion, driven mechanically by a person, and intended for a broad purpose.This was true until recently, a technocrat with no background in automotive crafted one of the most sought-after cars in the world–Tesla. From there, you can see a paradigm shift in the way manufacturers think about automobiles.At a time when the E-Mobility revolutionstarted by Teslais evolving- worldwide,E-Mobility has the power to ensure the sustainable growthof the transportation sector in India. The Indian scenario and way forward India is the third-biggest oil consumer in the world who imports about 84% of its oil needs. This translates to $112 billion or 1/4th of the country’s total import bills. This has also made the countrya significant contributor to global climate changes, plac- ing it at 4th place in thelist of global greenhouse gas emitters. Along with this, road accidents have been a significant cause for concern across India. In 2018 alone, the country reported around 1.5 lakh fatalities due to road accidents.The traffic congestions in various key cities in the country and the huge infrastructure demands – mainly for roads, increasedsingle user cars etc. are some of the problems the country have beenfacing in the transportation sector. Overcoming these problems requirerethinking the entire system, the way people move.It is not enough to focus on the auto- mobile industry alone. The implications are much beyond the industry and affecting our entire growth potential of the country. The solution must meet the needs of all users, businesses, and the country at large. The way forward is to build an integrated network of Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electrified vehicles (CASE) or in the more generic term, we can call it as the “E-Mobility.” CASE –The Building Blocks of Future Transportation Connected vehicles These communicate with surrounding vehicles and infrastruc- ture through the digital ‘cloud’ to enable hands-free calling, navigation,emergency response and concierge services.They have matured rapidly after the GPS, SLAM, LTE, and going to redefine after the introduction of 5G. The connected features have gone beyond the comfort and convenience levels of the users, and now reached a level that helps us to invade traffic blocks, take the shortest and fastest routes, parking, etc. The connected car with advanced Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) can do wonders in theindustry. Positive signs are coming from various directions, as ITS is functional in all major cities, and governments are pitching for moresmart citiesthat will complement the connected vehicle ecosystem. Autonomous vehicles One of the game-changersfor the Indian transportation industry is expected to be autonomous vehicles.Though the policymak- ers are a bit skepticalon the introduction of autonomous cars,we cannot move away from it. From an Indian perspective, it is time to derive a policy around it and overcome a host of our current challenges. For example, it is going to help us in the reduction of traffic accidents by eliminating human error, increasing road capacity and traffic flow by reducing the distance between cars, relieving car occupants from driving and navigation ac- Ashish Narayanan Manager, Strategic Business Development - Automotive E&E, QuEST Global energetica INDIA- June_2020 37