Ahead of World EV Day, Centre for Science and Environment tries to answer some questions on electric vehicles
Photo: iStock Science shows that replacing internal combustion engines (ICE) that power our diesel and petrol cars can eliminate toxic tailpipe emissions in our polluted cities, along with significantly lowering heat-trapping carbon emissions from fuel combustion.
Global trends show that this shift from ICE to electric vehicles (EV) is inevitable as carbon and pollution reduction become more aggressive over the next few decades.
But for this transition to happen, the EV buyer has the power to define the scope of the change. But they continue to be hesitant and have doubts about the new technology. Despite the irrefutable evidence available about the cost benefits they offer, electric cars have not found too many takers in India.
Of the 3.8 million passenger cars sold in financial year 2022–23, only 53,843 were electric cars. That amounts to a 1.49 per cent share. The lack of consumer interest in the e-car segment is often attributed to a lack of confidence and clarity in the new technology and limited model choices buyers find in the market.
New technologies often tend to get mired in a web of misinformation and myths. An information deficit environment aids the spread of myths. New Delhi-based think tank the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) tries to answer some questions:
Electric cars use new generation technology, which is much simpler than the technology used in ICE vehicles. To begin with, e-cars have simpler architecture. Compared to the ICE vehicle that has almost 2,000 parts, an e-car has about 20 moving parts. With fewer parts, it is far easier and cheaper to maintain. Simpler technology reduces the hassle and cost of routine maintenance.
This is very different from a highly complex diesel vehicle meeting Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) emissions standards. Diesel car technology, already packaged with common rail direct injection, turbocharger and exhaust gas recirculation, combined with advanced diesel oxidation catalyst, now has more complex emission control systems like diesel particulate traps with regeneration options and selective catalytic reducing system for NOx control (that requires regular urea refill at extra cost), among other complex techniques.
This will get more complicated when regulations for controlling emissions in the real world kick in from 2023 onwards.
E-cars, however, are yet to evolve beyond that first question. At least in India. E-cars are typically being bought and sold on the basis of mileage or range i.e., the number of kilometres that can be driven per full charge of the battery.
Further, the features of charging options and availability of charging stations matter a lot. This is a little bit like buying a petrol car on the basis of its fuel tank and the number of petrol filling stations available.
When one performance-defining factor of a product gains extraordinary attention, others pale in comparison and are often overlooked.
Range anxiety is the overriding concern of consumers to influence the purchase decision of e-cars. There is a wide variability in range that the models promise. TATA Nexon EV Max has a range of 453 kilometres per charge, Hyundia Ioniq 5 offers 631 km, BYD Atto 3 offers 521 km and MG ZS EV has an ARAI-claimed range of 461 km. (ARAI is the Automotive Research Association of India.)
Technically, once a car has been charged at home and at the workplace parking for daily use, there is no real reason to worry about regular errands. Public charging, then, can be used for a shorter duration only for a top up.
Most models are well within the range of the average travel distance in our cities. In fact, real-time data reveals that buyer anxiety on account of the charging network is largely unfounded.
Depending on the size and urban form, cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Kochi have a daily average trip length of 10-13 km.
More compact cities like Kolkata, Lucknow, Vijayawada, Bhopal, and Jaipur have an average trip length of 3–7 km.
This is evident from the city mobility plans and city development plans. An EV with a 30kW battery, therefore, can easily last longer than generally needed.
Though the listed price is spread over a large range — Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1 crore — a larger number of mid- to high-segment models entails a higher average price.
The major cost components that have a bearing on the difference between the cost of ICE and e-car are the upfront purchase cost, fuelling cost and maintenance cost. There are other costs including vehicle insurance, etc. that are not usually unique to technology but may have some variation.
The Nexon EV has an automaker-announced range of 453 km per charge, though owners of cars have reported a real-world range of 264 km. The Tata Nexon petrol offers real world mileage of 14 km / litre. To cover 100 kilometers, a Nexon driver will spend Rs 642, if petrol costs an average of Rs 90 / litre, while a corresponding calculation for the Nexon EV amounts to less than 10 per cent of the petrol version at Rs 61, given the electricity tariff for EV charging at Rs 4.5 / kWh.
The low cost of operations makes EVs a viable option for the commercial segment like ride hailing and taxi aggregators as well. They can break even faster than vehicles in the private segment because of high utilisation. All they need is a larger network of charging stations for opportunity charging.
This will depend on the respective tariff policies in different states. Let us take the example of Delhi. The Delhi EV policy supports home charging and the EV charging tariff is set at Rs 4.60 ($0.061), one of the lowest in India.
What if the car gets stalled in the middle of the road?
Typically, vehicle models available in India have a State of Charge monitoring unit built into the dashboard of the vehicle, where the driver can monitor the discharging and recharging of the battery. OEMs also offer mobile applications, such as the Z-Connect by Tata Motors for Nexon EV, with which the user can view detailed information from trip origin and destination to charge consumed during the trip.
A common belief about electric cars is that they get damaged easily during the monsoon or when wading through water logged areas due to the large amount of electronics installed in it. All modern EV models come with an IP67 rating for the battery, which means that the vehicle can be submerged in water up to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes without any damage. In addition, the battery has multiple layers of protection around its different systems to cut off power as soon as it detects entry of water into the system.
Electric vehicles typically have a smaller carbon footprint than petrol and diesel vehicles, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging and the carbon footprint of manufacturing batteries.
Electric vehicles are also more efficient in terms of the energy they can translate into propulsion. EVs can convert about 59 per cent–62 per cent of the electrical energy from the grid to power the wheels.
In comparison, conventional petrol vehicles can only convert almost 17–21 per cent of the energy stored in petrol to power the wheels. While it could be argued that electricity generated for electric vehicles also leads to carbon pollution, the amount varies directly with how the local power is generated.
India has ambitions to achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy sources by 2030. Studies in Europe have shown that petrol or diesel vehicles emit three times more carbon dioxide than an equivalent electric vehicle, even when considering the carbon footprint of charging.
As evidenced above, electric vehicles are much more efficient than petrol or diesel vehicles and have better acceleration. 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 any lag.
If the electricity used to charge EVs is created by burning fossil fuels, so there are still emissions involved
As India moves towards Net Zero targets, more and more of the electricity now comes from renewable, green or clean energy sources. The government continues to support the deployment of low carbon and renewable technologies to deliver a cleaner, greener system, so while emissions are still involved, EVs are a far better alternative to ICE.
Since 1990, India reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity system by over 70 per cent. There are plans of having 95 per cent of the electricity come from low carbon sources by 2030. By 2035, all the electricity will come from low carbon sources, subject to security of supply, meaning EVs will continue to become less carbon intensive.
Most EVs currently on the market have an eight to 10-year warranty. Most electric vehicle batteries have warranties of around five to eight years, but are expected to last much longer. New batteries’ lifespans are continually improving. And when the EV battery does reach the end of its life, it can be repurposed and reused in a second life application such as renewable energy storage, e-rickshaw or e-cart.
India has formulated the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 which offers guidelines on refurbishing and disposal of batteries as well as rules for inclusion in a circular economy. Once implemented, new batteries will be made out of materials used in old batteries, since the materials can get used infinitely.
Driver behavior helps in increasing fuel efficiency in ICE vehicles and a lot of awareness campaigns are designed around that. Even in EVs, driving behaviour matters and can provide better range if done right.
EV motors have an additional advantage; they are capable of generating energy through regenerative braking — although only a small percentage of the overall energy, it can have an impact on overall vehicle range.
There is a common myth that EVs are complex designs and require high maintenance due to battery and motors. EVs never require regular oil check-ups or oil changing or tuning up frequently. Moreover, their build is such that they possess far fewer of parts and attachments that might need replacing.
While e-mobility is beneficial for the environment, concerns about safety abound. Lithium-ion battery-driven vehicles are as safe as gasoline or diesel-powered engines. Moreover, an EV is powered by stable lithium-ion battery chemistry designed to operate under a significantly wide ambient temperature range. What makes this battery even better is that it is IP67 certified.
Also, the battery management system (BMS) continuously monitors the battery's temperature, and if it detects that the temperature is rising above safe levels, it will automatically shut down the battery to prevent damage. The BMS also provides protection against shorts, both internal and external, which can cause dangerous and costly battery failures.
Despite the government’s push for electric vehicles, banks are reluctant to venture into the EV financing space due to issues like their resale value and high risk assets. Since EVs are new entrants in the market, many insurers are making assessments to provide comprehensive electric vehicle insurance. Also, many neo-banks have started providing stable financing options to own an EV.
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