Contact FICCI
London Transport Model is being looked upon by the Government to replicate on Indian city roads
Nov 20, 2017
Electric
vehicles are economically & practically viable for our cities as a mode of
transport
NEW DELHI, 20 November 2017: �Public transport
running on biofuel and electricity is the focus of the government as it would
be environment friendly and cost effective� said Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister
of Road Transport, Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and
Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India, while addressing the
first edition of �Smart Mobility Conference� organized by FICCI.
Shri Gadkari added that India is an electric-surplus and coal
surplus country and the nation can capitalize on this advantage to become an
all-electric vehicle hub in the world. Having steered the country�s first
electric vehicles project in Nagpur, the Minister said that, at present, there
are 200 electric taxis in Nagpur along with 200 charging stations and by next
month charging capacity of more than 10,000 cars will be created. The
government is planning to increase the number of electric taxis from 200 to
2000 in Nagpur. Increasing production will also reduce the cost of lithium-ion
battery over time, which almost makes up for 40% of the total cost of an
electric vehicle.
He further mentioned that there is a lot of potential from the
London Transport Model to enhance e-mobility in India and his ministry is
engaging with them to scope out synergies in implementing the same model
in various cities like Varanasi, Nagpur and Pune among others.
Emphasizing the need of pollution-free methanol as fuel in
vehicles, the Minister cited the example of Sweden, where an efficient system
has been developed for substituting diesel by methanol as fuel. He added
that, research in converting carbon dioxide to methanol is promising and can be
a game changer for the economy.
Shri Gadkari concluded by highlighting that cost effective,
indigenous, import substitute and pollution free electric vehicles is the smart
mobility solution for India.
Mr. Pankaj R Patel, President, FICCI and
Chairman & Managing Director, Zydus Cadila - Cadila Healthcare
Limited, in his welcome address, highlighted the focus of this conference
in building a sustainable, digital andintegrated
mobility ecosystem. According to Mr. Patel, new
business models and disruptive technologies in the field of mobility are going
to bring about a significant change in our daily lives through effective
mobility management and our government�s efforts to embrace this
future-oriented mobility ecosystem will go a long way in making our country the
hub of smart mobility in the world.
On the occasion, FICCI-Rocky Mountain Institute knowledge report
on �Enabling India�s Transition to Electric Mobility� was
unveiled by Shri Nitin Gadkari and other dignitaries. The report highlights the
way forward to accelerate electric mobility in India by addressing the key
areas of public transportation, shared mobility services, interoperable
transport data, EV charging infrastructure and manufacturing.
While launching the FICCI taskforce on e-mobility, Mr. K
Ramchand, Chairman, FICCI National Committee on Infrastructure and Managing
Director, IL&FS Transportation Networks Limited, said that, FICCI
will coordinate with the government and the industry on devising a roadmap for
transition to smart mobility through stakeholder meetings, policy
representation to the government and by working on in-house research reports
for dissemination of required information to the stakeholders.
Mr. Ramchand further stated that India imports 82% of its oil
requirements and switching to clean mobility can cut the oil import bill by
around $60 billion in the next few years. Around 31% of our population resides
in urban areas and this figure is likely to reach 50% by 2030. This indicates
the need for smart urban transportation to manage the mobility needs of the
growing urban population. India requires e-mobility the most and Make in
India is the flavor of the moment according to Mr. Ramchand.
Earlier delivering the Special Address at the Inaugural, Dr.
Amory Lovins, Co-founder, Chairman Emeritus and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain
Institute, highlighted that shared, electric, and connected mobility
is key to India�s transition to electric mobility. According to Dr. Lovins, signs
indicate that the pace of India�s energy transformation could be astonishing:
the nation singlehandedly reduced the cost of LEDs by 80% in one year, and the
Government of India has set its sights on an ambitious target of 100% electric
vehicles by 2030.
Mr Poul V. Jensen, Director, European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) said that EBTC
is working towards helping India implement the European smart mobility
solutions in an indigenized way. He suggested that exploring innovative
financing models for smart mobility solutions is crucial at this moment along
with drawing a roadmap for the manufacturing and procurement of the electric
vehicles in India.
The Smart Mobility Conference consisted of panel discussions on
three carefully crafted technical and focused sessions on optimization of
electric mobility solutions & green technologies for city�s sustainability,
Intelligent Transport System (ITS) & digital technologies for better
traffic flow management and development of urban metro rail for smart urban
transportation.
FICCI MEDIA DIVISION
Also Read
- All trains to go fully electric soon: Piyush Goyal
- Niti's battery swapping policy proposal not viable: Gadkari
- Niti's battery swapping policy proposal not viable: Gadkari