Discussing the Creation of Grid-Connected Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure at CEM-4

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During last week’s Clean Energy Ministerial that was held  in New Delhi (CEM-4), Anil Chaudhary, Schneider’s Managing Director and Country President, Greater India, participated in the round table on electric vehicles . The panelists for the round table included policymakers and industry leaders from countries around the world.

The discussion outlined three broad themes, namely, providing tax holidays or cash incentives to promote the sale of electric vehicles, creation of infrastructure to facilitate using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for heavy duty vehicles and a charging infrastructure for passenger car vehicles, and tackling behavioral issues such as providing free parking spaces for Electric Vehicles or imposing congestion taxes in over-crowded cities. The round table also provided many useful insights into the roadmap for the development of for hybrid vehicles in India. For example, the Government of India has launched the National Mission on Electric Mobility, which has set a goal of creating a market for 3 million electric cars and about 35 million eletric two wheelers by 2020.

The panelists shared their experiences from different parts of the world that have encouraged the use of EVs. For example, European countries have provided tax holidays for buyers of EVs, car pool lane benefits, and prioritizing public transport over passenger vehicles. It was also stressed that integration of smart grids with the charging infrastructure could help in determining when to charge (i.e. during off peak hours) and when to sell (i.e. during peak hours). Some countries offer cash incentives for buyers of EVs, which is another way of encouraging a wider adoption of EVs. The need for setting up a robust and reliable infrastructure was highlighted by several speakers, which resonates well with our views on this technology.

Representatives from the industry felt that there is a need to encourage a broad range of technological solutions such as EVs and plug-in hybrids. However, creating an awareness program for consumers would be the key to a wider adaptation of EVs.

I believe that the roundtable was a good meeting of the minds, who brought forward an array of perspectives. While the Indian market is in a very nascent stage for EV’s, we believe that it is important to engage the stakeholders in discussions related to creating the infrastructure for charging of these vehicles. This round table has reaffirmed our belief that a robust and reliable infrastructure will enable the growth of EV market in India.

Note: The idenities of organizations and countries who provided the above information have not been discussed in this post as per the rules outlined for the panel discussion.