India has potential to become global leader in EV production: Research
The research titled "Freight Trucks in India are Primed for Electrification" carried out by the Berkeley National Laboratory and UCLA last month said that India can create a thriving domestic electric vehicle industry over the next decade or so.
India has the potential to become a global leader in the production of electric vehicles (EVs), a recent research stated.
The research titled "Freight Trucks in India are Primed for Electrification" carried out by the Berkeley National Laboratory and UCLA last month said that India can create a thriving domestic electric vehicle industry over the next decade or so.
The research underlined that making a transition from diesel-fuelled trucks to electric-charged will enable the country to meet the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070.
The research said that diesel trucks in India account for over 70% of all road freight movement in the country, and this share has been steadily rising for more than 20 years.
“Diesel trucks also account for about 57% of petroleum used for transportation in India, which imports 88% of its crude oil consumption (with crude oil accounting for 16% of all imports). Diesel-based trucking is therefore a major contributor to concerns related to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, cost of freight, balance of trade and energy security," it added.
The research finds that battery electric trucks (BETs), once mature, could have a lower cost of ownership than diesel trucks across multiple weight classes and they also mitigate fuel price volatility, an issue endemic to diesel trucking.
“Simple calculations suggest that, at the current average grid emissions intensity for India, BETs reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of freight by 9% to 35% across different classes of trucks when compared to diesel in addition to eliminating air pollution along highways and congested areas.”
Nikit Abhyankar, Berkeley Lab research scientist, and author of the above report said that electric trucks would be instrumental in “enhancing India’s energy security and reducing the goods transport cost,” news agency PTI reported.
