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India Plans to Be the First 100 Percent EV Country by 2030

Back in 2000, 2030 seemed like an eternity away. Sixteen years later, we're not so sure anymore. Judging by how the turn of the Millenium feels it only happened yesterday, we guess the next fourteen years will pass by like a breeze as well.
Traffic in India 1 photo
Photo: Yann on Wikimedia.org
India, however, plans to do a lot during this time. The second largest country in the world based on population is basically thinking about something that will completely overhaul its transport system, while also making it one of the most forward-thinking nations in the world.

We're all well aware of the problems faced by India: severe air pollution around its main cities, overpopulation, extreme poverty and a traffic system that looks like a Russian roulette at times. It doesn't take a specialist to realize that the country's central issue - the one that would, in turn, alleviate the others as well - is the rapidly increasing number of people living there, but that's not something the government can easily control.

What it can control, though, is the vehicles these people use. That sounds like a pretty dictator-like thing to do - telling people what to drive - but the way this scheme works is a lot cleverer than that. According to the proposal forwarded by a small group led by the Road, Oil and Power Ministers, those interested would get their EVs with zero down payment. Because an EV is so much cheaper to run than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, the new owners would be able to pay for their electric cars (or scooters) in monthly installments from the savings they'd be making.

Scratch your head all you want, but this thing actually makes some sense. Of course, it does mean that half the population would be in debt, and the Government would be taking a huge risk - not to mention the colossal initial investment - but the people behind this scheme seem to think it would work. Here is Piyush Goyal, the Indian Power Minister, talking to India Times: "India can become the first country of its size which will run 100 per cent of electric vehicles. We are trying to make this programme self-financing. We don't need one rupee support from the government. We don't need one rupee investment from the people of India."

There's a lot of enthusiasm going around, but you have to bear in mind these are politicians doing the talking. "We are meeting in first week of April and see (if) India can be 100 per cent on electric vehicles by 2030. We are trying to see if we can monetise the savings then you will have use cheaper electricity for charing of your cars. We are thinking of scale. We are thinking of leading the world rather than following the world. India will be first largest country in the world to think of that scale," he continued.

This isn't meant to be a measure to put more people on the road, but to convince most of those already using the infrastructure to switch from oil-burning vehicles to electrical ones. It wouldn't be the first time India tried something like this, even though it's hard to compare a vehicle to the LED bulbs that were previously distributed in a similar fashion (the price of the bulb was included in the subsequent energy bills, but since the consumption went down, the people paid the same amount as before). We'll know more next month, after the people in charge meet.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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