Green mobility will require many pathways
Mint Sustainability Summit. “Electric is part of the solution, so is ICE (internal combustion engine) with better emission technology, and so is hydrogen.
All these technologies will co-exist," said Vikram Pawah, president, BMW India. Pankaj Sharma, director and co-founder of battery technology company Log9 Materials, said we should be driven by what technology works best for us: “For short-haul intercity transport, batteries are good.
For long-haul travel, fuel cells will work. But fuel cells never work alone, there will be a hybrid of fuel cells and batteries." Subsidies are critical in these initial stages.
Phase-2 of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) has been crucial in the take-off of electric buses. “Even though the operating cost of an e-bus is much lower than an ICE bus, when you put in new technology and a higher price, the adoption would not have been possible without the subsidies," said Aanchal Jain, chief executive of e-bus maker PMI Electro Mobility Solutions.
Shamsher Dewan, senior VP and group head-corporate ratings, ICRA, expects many policy steps on hydrogen over two-three years. “Our sense is that initial applications (of hydrogen) will be around industrial usage, refining, and fertilizers, and transportation is still sometime away," he said.
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