India's Electric Vehicle Revolution Takes Off, Public Transport Options Finally Get Priority

The National Capital Region (NCR) of India has been experiencing ¡®hazardous¡¯ levels of air pollution over the last few weeks. While this is majorly being accredited to the cumulative effect of farmers of Punjab and Haryana burning paddy and the ongoing festivities involving bursting firecrackers, there is another, permanent factor in this equation. The exhaust from millions of vehicles running on fossil fuels on the roads of Delhi.

This and the rising dependence on fossil fuels and their correspondingly increasing prices, have pushed the country to the brink of using IC engine vehicles. Though it is already late, a perpetual shift to electric vehicles is the dire need of the hour. The good part is, the government acknowledges it and hence has placed new policies to promote the use of electric vehicles. What¡¯s even better, is that even the auto makers realise this and are making the necessary shift in their production accordingly.

Following on these lines, Mahindra is actively testing its second electric rickshaw in the country. To recall, the company already has an e-rickshaw in its product offerings by the name of e-Alfa Mini, launched late last year priced at Rs 1.12 Lakhs. The new one, showcased first at the Auto Expo 2018, has now been spotted on the streets, probably performing test runs.

The new Mahindra e-rickshaw, called Treo e-rick, will come with a new body frame. This involves re-positioning of the battery in comparison with the e-Alfa mini. While the e-Alfa mini has its battery just behind the driver¡¯s seat, underneath the middle row, the new Treo e-rickshaw will come with a battery placed over the rear axle, as can be judged from the footage.

Naturally, the battery placed at the rear end of the e-rickshaw will allow more space inside for the passengers. There is, however, a place for only three in the new Mahindra e-rickshaw, having only a one sided seat. In contrast, the e-Alfa mini allowed the seating of up to four people, with two rows of seating facing opposite to each other.

Since the new e-rickshaw by Mahindra is slated for a November 15 launch, the unit spotted in the video might just be a production ready one. Post its launch, the Mahindra Treo e-rick will compete with Bajaj¡¯s upcoming RE electric rickshaw, which is due to be launched early next year.

The upcoming launches can easily be taken as a testimony to the homegrown auto makers¡¯ commitment to an electric future on the road. In fact, e-rickshaws are not the only aspect of public transport that these companies are focusing upon. Ashok Leyland, another auto giant in the country, was recently spotted testing its all-electric bus, called Circuit F, which was also first showcased at this year¡¯s Auto Expo.

Ashok Leyland Circuit F (TECH AUTOGRAM/ YOUTUBE)

A similar shift is being driven in the personal vehicle segment. Tata Motors is set to bring the electric variant of its offerings in the country, including the Tata Tigor EV by next year while Renault is set to bring the Kwid EV. Maruti Suzuki recently announced that it was field-testing its all-electric made in India fleet of vehicles. In case you take a wholistic approach to this, there is not one automobile firm which does not have plans to foray into the EV division. Electric scooters and bikes have already seen a huge spike in sales this year.

So as Indian roads run out of options and the only way out seems to be electric, the time calls for a drastic shift to EVs, especially for the public transport means in the country. It is commendable how the auto makers are constantly pursuing the idea and even the government of India is taking the necessary steps, having recently proposed a bill to make EV charging stations compulsory in buildings and parking lots. In addition, the transport ministry has recently discarded the need for commercial permit requirement for electric vehicles. Know how the different states of the country are embracing electric vehicles here.