Unleashing India's EV Potential

Alok Jamdar, Vice President - Operations, at Wardwizard Innovations and Mobility Limited in an interaction with the Industry Outlook, shares his insights on the emerging EV market,  concerns  pertaining to battery malfunctioning, standardization, and more.

The global electric vehicle market is projected to become worth more than $823 billion by 2030. How do you see the EV industry developing in India? What are the key factors driving the growth?

The Indian EV market is undergoing a paradigm shift in terms of customer base. In the present market scenario, major Eletric two-wheeler manufacturers like us are witnessing a double digit growth. Environment being one, there are other crucial factors positively influencing the EV market of India.  

Firstly, owing to the price factor, EV has evolved as an affordable option for the medium and the low-medium income group. Although the initial purchase cost of the EVs are nearly equivalent to that of ICE’s. However, with no to minimum servicing cost and zero petrol cost, EVs become a wiser investment for the consumers. 

Booming E-commerce market is also a critical facilitator, propelling the growth of EV's in India. As the e-commerce players move towards developing a robust supply chain network with end-to-end connectivity, cost is becoming a major pain point. To mitigate this situation, the e-commerce industry is now adopting EVs at a massive scale; thereby bringing down the cost one-tenth to that of the ICE vehicles. 

Lastly, we are seeing a massive push from the government. Starting with different schemes like PLI and FAME to consumer awareness programmes, the Government is exploring all the possible channels to institute a robust EV ecosystem in the nation. Furthermore, there are no licensing criteria available for the riders at the present stage which is enabling a seamless transition towards EV.

A government-constituted probe committee on electric vehicle (EV) fires has found issues with battery cells/design in nearly all of the electric two-wheeler (2W) fire incidents in the country. How are the EV manufacturers working to mitigate the critical incidents like EV fire?

The concern with regard to battery malfunctioning is indeed an important question for the time. However, I believe every technology comes with its own challenges and there is no technology or mechanism which has no risk. The IC engines too had their own problems that have been gradually addressed. 

Yes, the lithium ion batteries that are being used now do have an issue with their chemistry, and are sensitive towards higher temperatures. However, these incidents can be reduced if the vehicles are handled as per the guidelines. At Wardwizard Innovations and Mobility Limited, we are providing a standard operating procedure or handling manual to our dealers. Furthermore, as a responsible company, we make sure that the customers go through the operating procedures, and if they have any questions, they can get in touch with our dealers or can directly call us.

Secondly, the current lithium ion chemistry is especially sensitive towards high temperatures. However, a number of companies are now working diligently to improve the stability of these cells so that they can withstand higher temperatures better. However, the EV industry is still in a nascent stage. The technology is also evolving and this is a learning curve that we are going through, but rest assured this will be taken care of very soon.

The Li-ion battery in electric vehicles is built to last till 6-7 years and after that the customer is left with no other choice than to buy a newer battery which costs nearly 3/4th of the whole vehicle cost. How is the industry working to increase battery life while bringing down the cost?

The concept of Electric Vehicles is itself in a very nascent stage and requires a considerable amount of discussion, research and modification. As far as batteries are concerned, at the present stage, a Lithium ion battery roughly provides a charging cycle ranging from 900 to 1100. This gives the user a battery life of around three years before it decays.

However, the industry is working to increase the battery life of the EV. We can see the implementation of enhanced battery chemistry, modification of internal cell structure, electrolytes, and materials. With these innovations on the line, it won't take much time for the EV industry to increase the battery charging cycle range to 2500 - 3000, which is more than double of what the present batteries are providing.

Poor infrastructure is among the most pressing issues among people thinking to opt for electric vehicles. Poor infra doesn’t only include a lack of charging stations but also the lack of proper charging set up in their home. How can this issue be addressed?

The EV ecosystem in India is not developed yet, and needless to mention that the present infrastructure along with the number of charging stations are not sufficient enough to meet the demands of the market. However, the industry is maturing and gradually, everything is starting to take shape and this development necessitates proper standardization.

The Government bodies and the EV manufacturers are required to collaborate in this hour to standardize the key element; thereby bringing the industry on the same page.  Be it swappable batteries or charging stations, the EV industry needs to develop standard connectors and plugs, enabling the user to charge at any place they want. These initiatives have already been initiated and the talks are on the table. However, it will take a certain time span to decide on the critical aspects and bring the industry on the same ground.

How do you see the EV industry evolving in the future?

The EV industry of India is a sunrise industry, and there is a long way to go with a never ending potential. Today, a huge number of customers are shifting from the IC engines to Electric vehicles and consequently we are witnessing double digit growth every month.

From an innovation point of view, at Wardwizard we are working on multiple fronts to make our vehicles more robust and suited to the Indian driving conditions. There are many manufacturers who have brought designs and parts from overseas. However, EVs of India need to be developed keeping in mind the Indian weather conditions. The moving parts have to be able to withstand the dust, heat, and road conditions.

Wardwizard is working on these systems very aggressively and most of it has already been implemented in our vehicles. In the coming future, we are also working to introduce new EV two wheelers and E-rickshaws.