Stress mobility not fuel types

Stress mobility not fuel types

India’s growing towns need a comprehensive and sustainable plan for mobility; electric vehicles are only a part of this and not a substitute. The electric vehicle policies announced by Delhi and Telangana pursue a low-carbon future away from persistent air pollution, besides a boost to the clean industries of the future in the automotive sector. However, these policies, Delhi’s more than Telangana’s, focus less on improving mobility and, thereby, reducing the life-cycle emissions from transport, and more on moving from fossil fuel-based internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.

India is urbanising at a fast pace, some estimates expect the urban population to grow from 377 million now to at least 600 million in the 2030s. Their mobility needs will need to be addressed in a manner that does not cause environmental stress, congest cities and town or dent safety of the road. The electric vehicle policy announced by these two states, though the Telangana plan includes public buses, incentivises two-, three- and four-wheelers. It is anticipated that the Indian automobile market would grow from 2.8 million to 10-13 million cars by 2026. A transition to electric vehicles may reduce the pollution in urban areas, but considering life-cycle costs, there would still be substantial emissions, not to mention congestion.

Instead of designing a policy that is focused on fuel choice alone and its attendant infrastructure, states would be better off designing a comprehensive mobility plan, in which walking, cycling and public transport form the preferred options for travel within the city. Together with efficient and environment-friendly cars and two-wheelers, that would form the basis of viable and sustainable transport systems for growing urban populations, with few adverse impacts.