Even though it will take a long time for EVs to become the go-to vehicles in India, the market for electric vehicles is exhibiting an upward graph in terms of popularity. As per a survey conducted in 2019, the Indian automotive market is one of the most rapidly-growing industries globally. However, it still accounts for approximately half a per cent of the world's electric vehicle market.
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Small manufacturing companies are giving a boost to the EV revolution in India. As per survey results by CRISIL, both the two-wheeler and three-wheeler industries will witness massive growth by 2024 – around 17% growth and 48% growth respectively. However, the growth of four-wheeler electric vehicles is estimated to remain stagnant or low for the next five years. The main issue which justifies the results is the public infrastructure for charging the vehicles. Let's take a closer look at the challenges:
The primary challenge that the country faces concerning the EV market is the lack of charging infrastructure. For EVs to become common, there should be charging stations located all around the country. There is a massive lack of land as well as instruments for leasing government as well private agency-owned land to set up the required charging stations.
The absence or scarcity of inexpensive renewable energy will lead to the setting up of charging stations, which in turn will put stress out the already-depleting electric grid which operates on coal combustion.
The fast-charging tech is recognized as being quite tricky as well as difficult to organize. The technology reduces the charging time of the vehicle by approximately thirty minutes. This, however, comes with a price. The majority of the chargers that are provided allow for only “level 2”, i.e., 18 kW power. With this amount of power, it would take quite a lot of time, 8 hours to be precise to fully charge up a vehicle. Therefore, it is not feasible.
To improve the charging time and find a solution to the issue of lithium plating (issue caused by fast charging where lithium gets deposited around the battery's anode), researchers are working on developing new materials for the battery's anode.
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The government of the country has plans to establish India as a 100% EV nation. To achieve this objective, the Indian government has also taken up several measures to make ensure that the current challenges get solved. However, only time will tell whether the objectives established will be achieved within the stipulated period or not.
