Consumers in droves have risen to the call to go green and made a beeline for electric vehicles (EVs). In the two-wheeler segment alone, sales topped 50,000 units this March—a four-fold increase since March 2021. However, the initial experience has been challenging. After an Ola electric vehicle scooter caught fire, an entire truck full of Jitendra EV two-wheelers went up in smoke. Meanwhile, Okinawa Autotech, which produces a popular brand of electric scooters, has acknowledged there is a problem and recalled an entire lot of 3,125 scooters. Dealerships are reporting that these images have dampened sales by more than 10%. Electric passenger car buyers too are facing teething problems, mainly the lack of infrastructure.
Many first-time buyers of EVs are complaining of a shortage of charging and servicing stations. Most of the batteries being used claim they are good for 150 km, but usually work for just 100 km. This means frequent charging. Companies selling these cars are not facilitating easy charging setups at homes, while housing societies are blank about how to provide these facilities in common areas. Millions of car owners in India don’t have proper parking facilities, which is compounding the problem.
Electric vehicle manufacturers and the government will thus have to step in to solve some serious technology and logistical bottlenecks. In a rush to go commercial, many EV manufacturers have neglected safety issues, especially with respect to batteries. The two deaths of a man and his daughter in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, are two too many. More efficient batteries that store a higher charge are also a crying need
for consumers stressed about range issues. After targeting 2030 for phasing out all internal combustion engines, the government can hardly afford to be a bystander. It has to intervene in a big way on safety, and step up the charging and servicing infrastructure. Finally, as the demand for electricity ramps up with EVs flooding the market, the obvious contradiction of power being generated by fossil fuels like coal cannot be allowed. A quick changeover to cleaner power like solar and wind has to be planned.