The biggest challenge for e-mobility is to replace a well-established ICE vehicle system, says, BEE Director General at India Energy Storage Week

New Delhi; 04.04.2023: As concerns over climate change continue to worsen, Electric Vehicles (EVs) will play a major role in the future of transportation. Electric vehicles have taken off in India and globally in a big way. In India, EV sales more than tripled to 10.54 lakh units in 2022. Addressing e-mobility day as the guest of honour at India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2023 , the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) Director General, Abhay Bakre emphasised on the need to generate high-decibel public awareness for EV adoption. “The biggest challenge for e-mobility is to replace a well-established ICE vehicle system. A major concern is how we shift a widely distributed, well-managed, and strong distribution network of fossil fuel, gasoline, or diesel to e-mobility. And, the solution lies in a robust public charging infrastructure. With a wide adoption and the economy of scale, we can bring down the costs of batteries, EV charging components, etc., and make the EV transition a success story just as India did with the smartphone revolution.”

Delivering the welcome speech at e-mobility day of IESW 2023, Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President of IESA, says, “With the support of the government and policies such as FAME 2, India’s electric 2-wheeler industry has grown exponentially in the last few years. Promising startups in the EV space are now leading the way in innovation. Indian OEMs are also stepping up and have introduced path-breaking EVs. This is an opportune time for industry and academia to collaborate and make India a global hub for R&D, manufacturing, and adoption of e-mobility. The potential to export solutions to other countries also presents a significant opportunity for companies involved in this sector. Together, we can create a sustainable future for ourselves and contribute to the world’s transition towards clean energy.”

Internationally acclaimed EV experts, manufacturers, and government representatives participated at e-mobility day including Abhay Bakre, Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Vishal Kapoor, CEO, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Sr V. P (Corporate Affairs & Governance), Toyota Kirloskar Motors and Anirudh Arun, Co-founder, Vikram Handa, MD, Epsilon Advanced Materials,Dr. Preeti Banzal, Adviser / Scientist ‘G’, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Govt of India and Anant Misra, Vice President, Lithium Business, Livguard COO, Blu Smart.

Speaking as the Guest of honour at IESW 2023, Vishal Kapoor, CEO, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), says, “Electric Vehicles have become increasingly relevant in the transport sector due to their indispensable role in reaching net zero emissions. To build a flourishing EV ecosystem in India, we must ensure that complete charging infrastructure pervades the market – from battery production units to service centres and even charging stations.”

 The government has also been playing its part with schemes like the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) to boost the EV ecosystem in the country and encourage more people to switch to cleaner modes of transportation.

 Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Sr V. P (Corporate Affairs & Governance), Toyota Kirloskar, Motors, says “Collaborative efforts between government and industry led to the birth of FAME, a pilot with a small 800 cr. corpus. We are beginning to see serious numbers in 2w & 3w, 4w is going to be a bit tougher, but going ahead, momentum has been created. Critical is the backend infra that needs to be upgraded.”

 Demonstrating the country’s commitment to sustainable and green solutions more than 500 world-class organisations from over 25 countries, including the UK, USA, UAE, Australia, China, Germany, Singapore, France, Italy, Israel and Sri Lanka, and 60+ CXOs from the e-mobility and green hydrogen ecosystem, 100+ start-ups, 50+ women energy leaders, and 8+ ministries are participating at IESW 2023.