October 19, 2023
“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, Adviser, Omega Seiki Mobility. He was speaking at a roundtable dialogue on “Electrifying the Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicle Industry” organised by CUTS International in Jaipur, where researchers and industry experts gathered to address the need for electrifying the medium and heavy duty vehicle industry.
Anshuman Gothwal, Co-founder and Director of the Centre for Energy, Environment, and People (CEEP), expressed concerns about the absence of standard protocols in the EV industry, especially regarding safety and capacity building. He also questioned electricity costs and grid stability.
Harsimran Kaur, Associate Researcher, ICCT, discussed 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.
Ramakrishnan, an Independent consultant and Researcher, 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% of the total pollution, despite constituting a mere 2% of vehicles on the roads.
Speaking at the roundtable dialogue, Abhishek Kumar, Founding Director of the Indicc, raised concerns about diminishing tax revenue and proposed three policy domains for consideration: vehicle optimisation, employment preservation, and skill development.
Neha Sakka, a Junior Engineer from Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL), emphasised the need for standardisation in EV charging infrastructure and proposed a Rajasthan Portal to bridge information gaps.
Himanshu Tyagi, Senior Research Analyst, World Resources Institute (WRI), spoke on timely upgrades in charging infrastructure for HDVs and MDVs, highlighting the importance of energy-efficient policies.
Rohit Garg, Programme Officer from the Centre for Science and Environment, discussed challenges in scaling up battery research and proposed a dedicated fund for R&D.
Dhwaj, a Researcher at Indicc, identified drawbacks in battery-based EVs, including low energy density, battery disposal issues, and longer charging times compared to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs).
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
For further details, contact to:
Akash Sharma (asa@cuts.org) and/or Sanobar Imam, CUTS (sai@cuts.org).