GOING ELECTRIC!!!

Are you looking to make the switch to an electric vehicle? With the rising awareness of global warming, electric vehicles are becoming a popular choice for many. In this article, we will discuss the advantages of electric vehicles, the environmental benefits, and how they compare to internal combustion engines. Let's dive in to explore the world of electric vehicles![AR1] 

Benefits of Electric Vehicles[AR2] 

Transport is a fundamental requirement if the modern economy and life, but the traditional combustion engine is quickly becoming outdated and are majorly polluting the environment, hence are quickly replaced by electric vehicles. Any fully electric vehicle is zero tailpipe emission and are much better for the environment. Some of the major benefits of owning an electric vehicle are –

1.      Lower Running Cost: The running cost of an electric vehicle is much lower than an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle. Electric vehicles use electricity to charge their batteries instead of using fossil fuels like petrol or diesel. Electric vehicles are more efficient, and that combined with the electricity cost means that charging an electric vehicle is cheaper than filling petrol or diesel for your travel requirements. The electricity cost can be reduced further if charging is done with the help of renewable energy sources installed at home, such as solar panels.

2.      Low Maintenance Cost: Electric vehicles have exceptionally minimal maintenance costs because they do not have as many moving parts as compared to an internal combustion vehicle. The servicing requirements for electric vehicles are lesser than the conventional petrol or diesel vehicles. Therefore, the yearly cost of running an electric vehicle is significantly low.

3.      Zero Tailpipe Emission: Driving an electric vehicle can help you reduce your carbon footprint because there will be zero tailpipe emissions. You can reduce the environmental impact of charging your vehicle further by choosing renewable energy options for home electricity.

4.      Tax and Financial benefits: Registration fees and road tax on purchasing electric vehicles are lesser than petrol or diesel vehicles. There are multiple policies and incentives offered by the government depending on which state you are in. Some of the policies and incentive schemes by the government are discussed on the later pages.

5.      Environment friendly: The availability of fossil fuels is limited, and their use is destroying our planet. Toxic emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles lead to long-term, adverse effects on public health. The emissions impact of electric vehicles is much lower than petrol or diesel vehicles. From an efficiency perspective, electric vehicles can covert around 60% of the electrical energy from the grid to power the wheels, but petrol or diesel cars can only convert 17%-21% of the energy stored in the fuel to the wheels. That is a waste of around 80%. Fully electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, but even when electricity production is considered, petrol or diesel vehicles emit almost 3 times more carbon dioxide than the average EV. Therefore, EVs are the way forward for transportation of goods are passengers.

6.      Easy and quite to drive: All the electric vehicles, except for hybrid vehicles, are automatic transmission. Hence, there are no complicated controls to drive the vehicle, just accelerate, brake and steer. And when you want to charge the batteries, just plug it in the home or a public charger.

7.      No noise pollution: Electric vehicles have the silent functioning capability as there is no engine under the hood. No engine means no noise. The electric motor functions so silently that you need to peek into your instrument panel to check if it is ON. Electric vehicles are so silent that manufacturers have to add false sounds in order to make them safe for pedestrians.

Difficulties of owning an EV[AR3] 

1.      Higher Initial Cost: Purchasing an electric vehicle would have an higher initial investment as compared to internal combustion engine. For example, Tata Nexon base model starts from Rs. 7.60 lakhs and Tata Nexon EV base model starts from Rs. 14.99 lakhs. This huge Price difference is due to battery cost of the electric vehicles.

2.      Poor Infrastructure: Poor infrastructure not only include lack of on-road charging infrastructure, but also includes lack of charging setup in homes.

3.      Lack of Standardization: Every EV company has their own different charging port which is a hurdle to setting up a proper charging infrastructure. Just like electric cars get a specific charging port (CCS-2), electric two and three-wheelers should maintain a similar standard to achieve the mass adoption of electric vehicles.

4.      Temperature Issues: Temperatures can affect the performance of an EV battery at a large extent which makes EV’s inappropriate for too cold or for too hot regions. The batteries can give best performance when its under the temperature range of 15-40 degrees.

Busting Common EV Myths

Sl. No.	Myth	Fact
1	Electric vehicles are uneconomical	Electric vehicles are more economical when you take consideration of fuel and maintenance cost. Discussed further in the later stages
2	It takes too long to charge	Cars spend over 90% of the time parked. You can plug in your car in this downtime at home to charge it. If you need to charge quickly on the road, fast and rapid chargers are entering the Indian market. Some electric vehicles can charge from 20% - 80% in about half an hour on these chargers.
3	Electric vehicle batteries will only last a few years	Electric vehicle batteries last for several years, and many of them will have a life beyond that of the vehicle for storing energy. The fear of the short life span of batteries arises when we start comparing it with the batteries of our smartphones. The batteries used in electric vehicles are superior and designed to offer a long service life. Many manufacturers are providing warranties of 5 to 8 years on batteries, however in the current prediction it may last from 10-20 years before they need to be replaced.
4	Electric vehicles have extremely low range	It is natural for drivers to be concerned about being stranded with a flat battery mile from a charging station, but as electric vehicles become more commonplace, their range is increasing. The electric vehicles currently available can easily accommodate the average daily mileage of Indian drivers. As per the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the average range of electric 2-wheelers currently available in the market is around 84 km per charge, which is enough for day-to-day travel within a city. The average range of electric cars available in the market is between 200kms-300kms per charge. This range, when considered with the continuously increasing charging infrastructure, makes commuting even inter-cities easier.
5	Electric vehicles are slow and have substandard performance	Electric vehicles are powered by an electric motor that generates torque instantly without any gears. As soon as you push down the accelerator, the electric vehicles will accelerate from stationary without lag.
6	Electric vehicles get damaged in waterlogged areas and are dangerous to charge in the rain	All electric vehicles come with compliance to an Ingress Protection (IP) as standard. Most of the electric vehicles have an IP67 rating or more; here 67 represents the protection against two elements - dust and water. To give you reference, anything past 67 is generally used for specialized equipment. Thus, your electric vehicle will not have any malfunction and will not conduct electricity in and around water if it has not been previously damaged.
7	India’s electric vehicle charging stations are not enough	There are already 934 charging stations in India with increased providers, both public and private, entering the space. Measures have been taken by the government to ensure public charging infrastructure penetration further increases. The Ministry of Power (MoP) provides the following minimum requirements for the location of public charging stations: ·       At least one charging station should be available in a grid of 3km x 3km. ·       One charging station to be set up every 25km on both sides of highways/roads ·       The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) amended its Model Building Byelaws (MBBL) 2016 to include the provision of electric vehicle charging in buildings Charging infrastructure shall be provided for electric vehicles at 20% of all ‘vehicle holding capacity’/’parking capacity’ at the premises. The building premises will have to have an additional power load, equivalent to the power required for all charging points to be operated simultaneously, with a safety factor of 1.25.

Type of Electric Vehicles

1.      Battery Powered Electric Vehicle

In these vehicles, the drivetrain is entirely electric is powered by batteries which provide the energy for the vehicle to move. The vehicle contains a large battery pack that is meant to supply electricity to drive the vehicle. The battery pack can be recharged by connecting it to an energy source that is external to the vehicle. The battery packs that power the drivetrain are connected to one or more electric motors that provide power to each of the electrical motors in turn.

The power for the electric motor is converted from the DC Battery to AC. As the accelerator is pressed, a signal is sent to the controller. The controller adjusts the speed of the vehicle by changing the frequency of the AC power from the inverter to the motor. The motor then connects and leads to the turning of wheels through a cog. If the brakes are pressed, or the electric car is decelerating, the motor becomes an alternator and produces power, which is sent back to the battery.

2.      Hybrid Electric Vehicles

HEVs are also know as series hybrid or parallel hybrid electric vehicles. They have both electric motor as well as internal combustion engines. The transmission is rotated between both engine and electric motor, and once the battery in the vehicle is depleted the same can be charged through the engine. The fuel tank supplies energy to the engine like a regular car. The batteries run on an electric motor. Both the engine and electric motor can turn the transmission at the same time.

3.      Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The PHEVs are also known as series hybrid. They have both electric motor and internal combustion engine. You can choose among the fuels, conventional (such as petrol) or non-conventional (such as biodiesel). It can also be powered by battery which can also be recharged by an external source such as power grid.

PHEVs can run in either of two modes:

·       All-electric mode

·       Hybrid mode

PHEVs start-up in all-electric mode and make use of electricity until their battery pack is depleted. Once the battery gets drained, the engine takes over, and the vehicle operates as a conventional, non-plug-in hybrid. PHEVs can be charged by plugging into an outside electric power source, engine, or regenerative braking. When brakes are applied, the electric motor acts as a generator, using the energy to charge the battery. The engine’s power is supplemented by the electric motor; as a result, smaller engines can be used, increasing the car’s fuel efficiency without compromising performance.

4.      Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

They are also known as zero-emission vehicles. They employ ‘Fuel-Cell Technology’ to generate electricity required to run the vehicle. The chemical energy of the fuel is directly converted into electric energy to run the vehicle itself.

Electric Vehicle Incentives

You might feel that getting your hand on an electric vehicle is costlier than an internal combustion engine vehicle, but that is only because of the higher upfront cost. Effective cost over the electric vehicle over the lifetime is very less in comparison to the internal combustion engine vehicle. The government offers various schemes and incentives to make electric vehicles more affordable to the buyers. Some of such incentives and schemes are as follows.

1.      Purchase Incentive

2.      Coupons

3.      Interest Subvention

4.      Road Tax Exemption

5.      Registration Fees Exemption

6.      Income Tax Benefit

7.      Scrapping Incentives

National Incentives:

FAME, or Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric vehicles, is currently India’s flagship scheme for promoting electric mobility. Currently in its second phase of implementation, FAME-II is being implemented for a period of 3 years, eff. 1st April 2019 with a budget allocation of 10,000 Cr. The incentives offered in the scheme are:

Total Approximate Incentive	Approximate Size of Battery
Two-Wheeler: Rs. 15,000/- per kWh up to 40% of the cost of vehicle	2 kWh
Three-Wheeler: Rs. 10,000/- per kWh	5 kWh
Four-Wheeler: Rs. 10,000/- per kWh	15 kWh
E Buses: Rs. 20,000/- per kWh	250 kWh
E Trucks: Rs. 20,000/- per kWh

State Incentives:

Every State offers some incentives to either manufacturing entities, vehicle charging stations and to consumers for adopting electric vehicles.