Electric-powered vehicles are one of the cornerstones of india’s net-zero emission dream. And rightly so. As these vehicles run on electricity and produce no harmful emissions, central and state governments are emphasising the incorporation of electric vehicles (evs) into the urban transport system.
Can electric vehicles be truly called green and sustainable? We tend to forget that vehicles are as clean as the fuel they consume. It means that the source of electricity used to power EVs should essentially be clean. However, India still generates 57 per cent of electricity by burning fossil fuels, mainly coal (50 per cent). Production of fossilfuel- based electricity is witnessing sustained eight per cent growth. Also, the country has announced plans to increase its coal power plant capacity by 80 GW (gigawatts) by 2031– 2032. So, shouldn’t it be said that by incorporating more and more electric vehicles, we are just transferring our emissions from cities to distant towns and villages?
Similarly, the sustainability element of EVs is marred by several factors, such as increased reliance on imports for battery components, including lithium ore, and a lack of charging infrastructure. Plus, it will also significantly enhance the problem of e-waste.
Import dependency
Batteries are an inalienable part of any fuel cell vehicle, making it essential for countries that see EVs as their calling card for green transportation to become self-reliant in battery technology. India, too, is one of the countries that visualises an EV-driven future, at least for cities. Due to a lack of domestic production, India relies heavily on imports, with nearly 60–65 per cent of battery components coming from outside. The lack of lithium reserves and insufficient research in alternate battery technology further cripples domestic production of EV batteries, which in turn hampers our battery recycling capacity too. The Chinese example could be a great inspiration in this regard.
Even though Chile, Australia, and Argentina are the top countries with the largest lithium reserves in the world, China dominates the global battery market with a massive 75 per cent share, thanks to the heavy investment it made in research and development of battery technologies. Not only that, it has a 50 per cent global market share in EV production. India also imported 30 per cent of its automobile components, worth $20.3 billion, from China in 2022–23.
Slow chargers
India has only 12,146 charging stations, while there are 28,30,565 registered electric vehicles as of August 3, 2023 (according to PIB)—a notso- healthy ratio. As per the Global EV Outlook, as of 2021, there are 10 EVs per charger and 2.4 kW per EV. China is pulling the global averages downwards with 7 EVs per charger and 3.8 kW per EV, with 40 per cent of its chargers being fast chargers.
One solution to the problem of inadequate charging stations is to install fast chargers. For example, South Korea provides a charging point of 7 Kilowatts (kW) capacity, even though it has, on average, only 2.6 electric light-duty vehicles (LDVs) per charging point. Per-hour charging range of a 7kW charger is 25 miles, while a 3.5 kW point has a charging range of 12.5 miles.
On the other hand, in India, kW per electric LDV stands at 0.4 kW. As per the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), EVs take around 1 to 5 hours to charge up to 80 per cent from Slow/ Moderate chargers. But fast charger can reduce this time to less than an hour.
Considering the increasing number of EVs in the country, this EV to charger ratio will deteriorate as the growth of charging stations is not proportionate with the growth of EVs. A report by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) titled ‘Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles’ indicates that the sales of EVs have witnessed 200 per cent growth in 2022, due to which the number of EVs has increased by three times. If this continues, EV sales will reach about 106 million units annually by 2030, for which India will require at least 1.32 million charging stations.
Increasing e-waste
Another issue the EVs will create is exponentially increasing the quantity of e-waste. A New Circular Vision for Electronics notes that worldwide, nearly 50 million tonne of e-waste is produced annually, only 20 per cent of which is recycled. If this trend continues, by 2050, the world will produce 120 million tonnes of e-waste annually. The report also predicted that there will be 11 million tonnes of used batteries waiting to be discarded by 2030.
As mentioned, not many countries have large lithium and kobalt reserves, and mining of these minerals itself takes a heavy toll on the environment. So, it is in our best interest to recycle the batteries. Even though we may not be able to use them to power vehicles, they are still valuable, as they contain rare earth materials that can be reused as raw materials in other industries if retrieved successfully. But only 5 per cent of EV batteries are recycled worldwide.
Similarly, in 2021–22, India generated over 16 lakh tonnes of e-waste, of which we recycled only 5.27 lakh tonnes. We also have a limited capacity for recycling batteries, with only seven functioning units—Roorkee, Panipat, Greater Noida, Sikandrabad, New Delhi, near Mumbai, Pune, and Raigad. Currently, we have no company that could reuse the retrieved battery cells. Therefore, for electric vehicles to emerge as a green and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based vehicles, India has to increase the number of fast charging stations.
In addition to that, we must invest in producing EV batteries domestically and promptly. It will not just reduce import dependence; it will also significantly cut vehicle costs, eliminating the need to give large incentives while facilitating faster penetration of EVs. Another key issue that demands immediate attention is battery recycling, as the rare earth minerals it contains are not just rare and expensive but also reusable. Batteries could also be refurbished and reused for other non-automative purposes, which will reduce the burden of e-waste.
In India, sales will reach about 106 million units annually by 2030, and the country will require at least 1.32 million charging stations to cater to this humongous fleet.