Soon, having electric vehicles chargers in malls and flats is likely to become compulsory
2 min read
Just when one starts thinking that governments and other involved parties have exhausted all possible policies to promote electric vehicle transition, they get a surprise. The latest shocker was from the Indian government following a statement by C N Ashwath Narayan, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, regarding upcoming regulations. The new measures would see apartments, IT parks, malls, metro stations, and high-rise buildings install electric charging stations without any exception. That would encourage the transition to clean energy vehicles, no doubt.
As he spoke at the Harvard-India conference on the topic of the Future of Sustainable Mobility, he talked about the government plan on its fleet going forward. According to him, within the next 2 to 3 years, it plans to replace 50% of its cars with electric vehicles. He added that Karnataka was eager for collaborations and great strategies with the United States as far as the e-mobility industry is concerned. Besides the previously mentioned places, there are also plans of setting up fast chargers along several main highways. In the efforts of establishing a top-notch Karnataka Electric Mobility Research and Innovation Centre, some of the roads include Bengaluru – Mysuru highway and Bengaluru – Chennai highway.
He said that the reason for such measures is that electric vehicle charging infrastructure in India, which is also the case in most countries, leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, if such regulations were to be laid down, the situation would change from bad to good within no time. Due to citizen feedback, the government also considers electric cabs having their exclusive parking area and people charging at the public charging stations to get discounts. Equally important, buildings will also have to install electric vehicle charging stations.
The Deputy Chief Minister also spoke about the many power plants not utilized to the maximum. That is likely to change once the demand for electric vehicles increases, going by the estimates. Consequently, the issue of low plant load factors resulting from little utilization of the available capacity. Such a transition would see the country enjoy various benefits. From sustainability, affordability, safety to practicality, that’s something electric vehicles can provide.
Nevertheless, it would be unfair for anyone to say that the Central government hasn’t done anything to promote the electric mobility sector. One of its supportive efforts has been funding related researches. In addition to that, anyone designing, developing, and demonstrating projects revolving around electric vehicles has had the right platform to do the same. He added that Karnataka’s role models in this journey could be the likes of China, the USA, and Norway.
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