Energetica, October 26, 2023
CUTS International organised a roundtable dialogue on ‘Electrifying the Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Industry’ in Jaipur. Various researchers and industry experts gathered to address the need for electrifying the medium and heavy duty vehicle industry.
The roundtable dialogue was attended by Dr. Deb Mukherji, Adviser, Omega Seiki Mobility, Anshuman Gothwal, Co-founder and Director, CEEP; Harsimran Kaur, Associate Researcher, ICCT; Ramakrishnan, Independent Consultant and Researcher; Abhishek Kumar, Founding Director, Indicc; Neha Sakka, Junior Engineer, JVVNL; Himanshu Tyagi, Senior Research Analyst, WRI; Rohit Garg, Programme Officer, Centre for Science and Environment; Dhwaj, Researcher, Indicc.
“Freight vehicles returning empty after offloading the goods reduces the efficiency of the freight sector, a key concern towards the transition towards electric mobility”, said Dr. Deb Mukherji. Anshuman Gothwal expressed concerns about the absence of standard protocols in the EV industry, especially regarding safety and capacity building.
The regulatory perspective of the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs) and the need for innovation within original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to facilitate the transition to EVs were discussed by Harsimran Kaur.
Ramakrishnan stressed the need to address the significant carbon emissions originating from heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) and medium-duty vehicles (MDVs), which collectively contribute to a staggering 40 percent of the total pollution, despite constituting a mere 2 percent of vehicles on the roads.
Speaking at the roundtable dialogue, Abhishek Kumar raised concerns about diminishing tax revenue and proposed three policy domains for consideration: vehicle optimisation, employment preservation, and skill development.
Neha Sakka emphasised the need for standardisation in EV charging infrastructure and proposed a Rajasthan Portal to bridge information gaps. Himanshu Tyagi spoke on timely upgrades in charging infrastructure for HDVs and MDVs, highlighting the importance of energy-efficient policies.
Rohit Garg discussed challenges in scaling up battery research and Dhwaj identified drawbacks in battery-based EVs, including low energy density, battery disposal issues, and longer charging times compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs).
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