Electric Vehicles | Principal Scientific Adviser

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Introduction

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Mission was approved in the 1st Meeting of the PM-STIAC held on 9th October, 2018. This mission is critical for India to reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate emissions by facilitating the production of Electric Vehicles (EVs) economically. The ‘Electric Vehicles mission of the PM-STIAC aims to develop vehicle sub-systems and components specific to Indian requirements. It is to assist the speedy adoption of electric vehicles by making their use viable. The PSA’s office has facilitated multi stake-holder consultations, formed CGFT and have driven standardisation work.

The final report on CGFT has been concluded in September 16, 2021.

In India current automobile market is dominated by fossil fuel-based vehicles, the Indian government has set up ambitious targets and created National missions and programs to ensure that electric vehicles replace fossil fuel-based vehicles as the primary mode of transport. The National Electric Mobility Plan (NEMMP) 2020, envisioned to achieve 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles year on year from 2020 onwards. The FAME-II and Advanced Chemistry Cell PLI Schemes provide incentives to the customers for purchasing electric vehicles, and incentives to the manufacturers for manufacturing electric vehicles, batteries and storage systems. The Green Hydrogen Mission will provide impetus on fuel cells manufacturing for advancing use of green hydrogen in decarbonisation of transport sector as well.

The Government of India has set an ambitious target of 30% EV penetration by 2030. Additionally, our vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 necessitates the creation of a robust R&D landscape that can enable the creation of a self-reliant domestic EV ecosystem. Therefore, PSA Office has formed a Core Group on e-Mobility (CGeM) , a panel of experts from Government, Academia, and industries , on August 12, 2022 under the chairmanship of Prof. Ajay K. Sood, PSA to the GoI with an aim to create “E-Mobility Basic R&D Roadmap for Surface Transportation”. The CGeM in its first meeting decided to prioritize actions on:

R&D roadmap on surface transportation and e-mobility, and
A technical roadmap deployment of Zero Emission Trucking (ZET) ; which has been released in March, 2023

CGeM, has created the Technical Roadmap, outlines the imperative and methodologies for developing ZET pilots, advancing product innovations, conducting field research, and identifying regulatory frameworks essential for ZET integration.

Further, a comparative study of ZET technologies along the Delhi – Jaipur Corridor, with RMI as knowledge partner has also been undertaken. The study underscores the associated costs and operational dynamics of various ZET technologies, which will be helpful in technology selection for creating requisite infrastructure for scaled ZET adoption in India.

The e-mobility roadmap is under finalization stage and is due for launch on July 16, 2024.

Noteworthy Achievements

Light Electric Vehicle Charge Standards- The first global and India-centric and Interoperable Standards have been conceived with due consultations with Industry and Technologists, prototyped, proven, piloted and deemed satisfactory- the Standards are now published by BIS.
Dual Plugin Charging Standards for eBuses- Global first and Interoperable and India-centric has been prepared and after due process has been notified as standard by BIS. A Dual Gun concept has not only been developed but has also been successfully tested in Ahmedabad Ranip Depot, with due support from PSA's office.
Automated Charging Device (ACD- Pantograph) for eBuses- Based on the SAE standards have been prepared and has been handed over to BIS for processing, circulation, consultations and publishing.