There have been debates on how the recently concluded edition of the odd-even wasn’t as helpful. There were also talks about reintroducing it. However, many automobile companies feel that the odd-even did one thing just right. It was reducing congestion. The sheer fact that so many vehicles were off the road as well as people ended up sharing, meant that the CO2 emissions were lower. Anil Kumar, the CEO and director of SEG Automotive, in a conversation with Express Drives said that before trying to make electric four wheelers, the government’s decision to make two as well as three wheelers into fully electric makes more sense. The very fact that FAME II scheme favours electric two as well as three wheelers is proof enough that even manufacturers need to consider this fact.
Anil elaborates that hybrids are the right way to reduce pollution. Before adopting full EVs, the intermediate solution is to go for hybrids. These reduce up to 20 per cent CO2 emissions and have a much lower well to wheel contribution. Anil feels that the adoption of electric two as well as three wheelers is much easier as their ownership cost is much lower. It works climatically too as these vehicles need a smaller battery and hence their CO2 emission recovery is much faster as well. As it is, a huge amount of CO2 is mortgaged initially for making an EV. It varies from 1kWh to 40kWh, depending on the vehicle. Smaller vehicles can be run for a shorter period, thereby negating the effect quickly. An EV car, especially a fleet one, will be able to recover it much faster than a private one.
Having a renewable source of energy helps too. Currently, India has a 17 per cent renewable energy source while by 2027, we expect to have double that amount. It is no mean feat. Anil stresses that hybrids will have a significant contribution in helping reduce CO2 emissions big time. By 2025, out of the five vehicles sold, one car will be a hybrid. In Europe as well as China, there will be one hybrid in the three vehicles sold. Only 15 per cent of the vehicles will be completely electric. Anil says that even this is a huge number.
