Hyderabad: Electric vehicles may be the next best transport mode for a world worried about climate change, but tech-friendly Hyderabad is showing an unusual lack of interest in them. Of the 27 lakh vehicles registered in the five zones of the Road Transport Authority, only 0.1 per cent vehicles are electric. As such, carbon emissions from vehicular transport show little sign of reduction.
At the last count, Hyderabad had 2,374 electric or battery operated vehicles, of which 2,254 were motorcycles, 97 cars, three e-autorickshaws, three goods carriers, six e-taxis, 11 other vehicles.
Joint transport commissioner J. Pandurang Naik said, as per the Paris climate agreement, India is committed to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases by 2030. The Centre has urged the transport ministry to oversee the conversion of vehicles using conventional fuel to battery-operated vehicles.
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Indeed, the Centre’s target is that by 2030, every vehicle on the road should be electric-powered. Though the transport sector hopes to replace all fuel-operated vehicles in the country with electric or battery operated vehicles by 2032, it seems like a distant dream in the current scenario.
There are several impediments that need to be corrected before the e-car becomes popular with the general public. Chief amongst them is the lack of charging points, the low maximum speed of the e-vehicles and the fact that a fully charged battery does not ensure coverage of great distances. It is quite risky to drive to far-off places as the vehicle may be stranded if the battery is discharged completely.
Mr Mohammad Akram, a techie from Malakpet who has been using an e-motorcycle for a while said, “Compared to conventional vehicles, the cost of e-cars and e-motorcycles is more. I own a 100cc e-bike. It takes about 8 hours to charge it fully and it runs for 100 kms. To recharge the battery, I use 1.2 units of power which is around Rs 6. E-cars provide travel of 1 km for Rs 1.15 against Rs 3-4.5 for conventional fuel vehicles. The only major drawback with e-vehicles is the lack of charging points in Hyderabad, whereas Bengaluru, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune have sufficient charging points.”
The Centre is encouraging e-vehicle buyers by waiving life tax for five years on the new cars, said Mr Naik. “Now automobile companies have begun manufacturing electric bikes, motorcycles and cars. Along with HMDA, GHMC, Metro Rail and the traffic police, we are working to motivate people to go electric,” he said.
