The future of electric vehicles

By: Aanya Chaudhary

Believe it or not, the future of electric vehicles (EVs) in India is incredibly bright. It’s all because of the overwhelming demand of switching to electric cars. Thanks to the advent of
path-breaking EV technologies.

Electric vehicles now include cars, transit buses, trucks of all sizes, and even big tractors, that are at least partially powered by electricity. Battery vehicles are powered by electricity stored in a battery pack. Plug-in hybrids combine a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor and a large rechargeable battery. Fuel cell vehicles split electrons from hydrogen molecules to produce electricity to run the motor.

Electric cars are not only environmentally friendly or an alternative to fossil fuel, but they are convenient and cost-effective too. The government has provided special tax subsidies, which are encouraging new potential consumers to opt for EV technology.

The Indian government is awarding hefty tax rebates to EV buyers, which makes the future of electric cars brighter in India. However, there are many drawbacks to the same. One of the major hurdles that electric cars are facing in India is that one can’t drive them for long distances. But that doesn’t mean that a fossil-fuel car could be driven for extra-long distances.

Emissions from cars and trucks are not only bad for our planet, but also for our health. Air pollutants from gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles cause asthma, bronchitis, cancer, and premature death. The long-term health impacts of air pollution last a lifetime, with the effects like asthma attacks, lung damage, and unhealthy heart conditions.

However, some of the biggest challenges of an electric car are, battery manufacturing, lack of charging stations, policy challenges, lack of technology and skilled labour, as well as unavailability of materials for domestic production. But crossing these hurdles, India is moving towards electrification of vehicles.