Carbon Neutral Journey Through E-Mobility

Kamal Baruah

(A freelance writer based in Guwahati, Kamal Baruah is a former

Air-warrior with the IAF and is currently working for SBI)

After nitrogen, oxygen, water vapour, and argon, carbon dioxide is the fifth most abundant gas in the atmosphere. The availability of atmospheric carbon (mostly in the form of carbon dioxide) reservoir is very small i.e. 0.0391%. But there is a very large amount of carbon in the form of fossil fuels on our earth. The atmosphere could be easily overwhelmed by all fossil fuel carbon emissions if burnt for industrial use. Fortunately, the atmosphere is closely coupled to a large reservoir — the ocean which stabilizes our atmosphere. Carbon is dominant in Mars and Venus. There is more CO2 in their atmospheres than on Earth, so life does not exist there. While the Earth does have enormous amounts of carbon — nearly all of it is tied up in carbonate sediments, coal, and other organic matter, rather than being stored in the atmosphere.

Inhalation of low concentrations of CO2 is not harmful to us but higher concentration can affect our respiratory function. Besides, it displaces oxygen in the air. The Earth is being polluted due to the emission of CO2 since the mid-18th century Industrial Revolution. According to the Global Carbon Project, worldwide emissions actually increased at the fastest rate in the past few years. As the number of motor vehicles on roads doubles every ten years, CO2 emissions are bound to get worse. Premature deaths are mostly attributable to air pollution from vehicle tailpipe emissions. Trees are capable of absorbing carbon from the air. Tree planting can be good for deforested areas but planting trees in natural grasslands can destroy the habitats of plants and animal species. Also, it cannot solve the problem for long. Renewable energy is the solution for energy scarcity, thereby helping reduce oil dependency too.

There is a threat of climate change from rising global temperatures this century. The Paris Climate Agreement 2015 has been signed by 196 nations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change for the cause of greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance. World leaders have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 while reducing carbon emission to zero and staying below 2° Celsius rise in global temperature. India has planned a roadmap for energy security and vehicle pollution to shift India’s transition from conventional engines to electric vehicles (EVs). Under the scheme “Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of EVs in India” (FAME), it reduces the purchase prices of hybrids and EVs for public transportation and private two-wheelers. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 is now being implemented while pollution check has been made compulsory for all vehicles on road. But defaulters are going free because scrappage plan bears no fruit without age limit. The Supreme Court has banned the sale and registration of vehicles under BS-IV from April 1, 2020. Further, it would skip BS V norms altogether and adopt the new BS-VI emission regulations.

Electric Vehicles are vehicles charged from external electricity sources like electric batteries and a combination of batteries and conventional engines called plug-in hybrid EV. EVs can play a role in lowering emissions from transport, as it promises zero tailpipe emissions and a reduction in air pollution in cities. India going electric for a country of 1.3 billion people is not an easy feat. NITI Aayog has refused to extend the deadline for three-wheelers after 2023, and for two-wheelers having up to 150-cc engine after 2025. With a goal of reaching 30% EV penetration by 2030, FAME will save millions of tonnes of oil and reduce CO2 emissions. Various fiscal demand incentives have been put in place by the government to spur the production and consumption of EVs and charging infrastructure. Manufacturers have started investing in R&D for developing battery packs for electric mobility.

China’s initiative towards top-selling light-duty plug-in EV in global markets and Norway’s largest sovereign wealth fund could bolster Investment in renewable energy. The land of midnight sun Norway is also the global leader in terms of electric car market share. However, EV market penetration in India is only 1% and these are mostly two/three-wheelers. Auto manufacturers are forging partnerships with the government vision. As demand increases, corporates/PSUs have big plans to set up electric charging stations across the country. Switching over to EV by app-based Ola/Uber can play a big role in implementation. It could also create jobs for battery swapping operators.

Making cars electric isn’t just about technical innovation, it is also ecosystem innovation. However, there are barriers to EV adoption. The world needs electricity to be generated from renewable sources for the adoption of EVs. Although coal power is increasingly disregarded for its contribution to harmful emissions, coal production is still increasing globally. Coal power is declining in the US with renewable wind power overtaking coal. The UK too is planning for complete phase-out of coal. But China’s pledge brings no fruit as coal production there is set to increase further. India has the world’s largest coal company, Coal India Ltd, while she is the second-largest consumer of coal.

Recently India has gifted solar panels to United Nations headquarters with an aim to reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy by declaring hashtags ‘ClimateActionNow’ and ‘Equality’. India has also committed to generate 100 GW of solar/wind power by 2022 from renewable sources. At the same time, India’s Infosys has won the 2019 UN Global Climate Action award for its journey towards carbon neutrality. Their efforts in community offset programme are helping India reduce firewood consumption in rural communities. People are being freed from dangerous smoke inhalation by using biogas-fuelled cooking and organic farming. Infosys has sought to address global operations by using the solar energy while reducing dependence on thermal power.

There are issues like safety, space and consumers’ trust in conventional engines that have run on the road for many decades. Commuters don’t want to face interruption in charging vehicles. Also, they want the new technology to be available at an affordable cost. The worldwide e-mobility revolution is not possible unless India and China co-operate because of the size and scale in EVs. There are questions about the plan to shift to electric mobility at a time when auto manufacturers are trying to upgrade their models to comply with BS-VI emission norms; this probably reflects the recent slowdown in the automobile sector. It would also cost the auto industry heavily to replace conventional internal combustion engines. Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 requires unprecedented political will and cooperation, but it’s not impossible. These initiatives need stronger national and international climate policies towards making planet Earth liveable.