There is increased focus on electric mobility and it is only growing with time. This is amid greater emphasises on the importance of sustainable development with green energy tipped to change the scenario in the entire globe. In Jammu and Kashmir, there has been substantial increase in battery driver two-wheelers and three-wheelers in Jammu and Kashmir. This is apart from the addition of electric buses. So far, the battery driven vehicles have been effective.
As per the information available on e-vahan portal of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
(MoRTH), there are 20,40,624 electric vehicles including 2-wheelers and three-wheelers registered in the country as of January 31, 2023.
Of late, the government of India has taken several initiatives to promote electricity mobility including charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The Ministry of Power has already issued clarification that the charging of batteries of electric vehicles through charging stations does not require any license. Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has also issued amendments in the regulations regarding Technical Standards pertaining to Grid Connectivity and Safety of supply for Charging Stations.
Also, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has also issued amendments in Model Building By-Laws and Urban and Regional Development Plans, Formulation and Implementation Guidelines regarding Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles.
Recently, revised consolidated Guidelines and Standards for charging infrastructure were issued by the Ministry of Power to accelerate the E-Mobility transition in the country.
The Ministry of Power along with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Heavy Industries and NITI Aayog launched a nationwide “Go Electric” Campaign to educate the general public on the benefits of electric vehicles.
According to initial estimates provided by the government, a total of 46,397 Public Charging Stations (PCS) are being targeted in various cities by 2030.
Amid all these developments, electric transport in India has mixed feedback on the technology. While some consider their rollout fruitful, others have faced challenges in smoothly operating them due to their limited driving range. There are mainly four reasons to switch to electric buses –reduced pollutant emissions, lowered fiscal deficits due to oil, limited operating costs, and decreased greenhouse effect. These are typical in Jammu and Kashmir but the switch to such transport must be well calibrated. The administration needs to carefully weigh up all options. There is no doubt that there is a need for augmenting the public transport but it must be more reliable.
