“The market share of EVs [electric vehicles] increases with increasing availability of charging infrastructure. In India, the limited availability of charging infrastructure seems to be a major impediment to increased adoption of EVs,” the Economic Survey 2018-2019 noted. According Economic Survey 2018-2019, released yesterday, charging infrastructure is a more important factor for electric vehicle adoption than incentives. The Survey, which was tabled in the Parliament on July 4, said that apart from lack of proper charging infrastructure, the time taken to charge electric vehicles is also a major hindrance for EV uptake in India. Fast chargers can take up to half an hour for charging one vehicle, while normal chargers can take as much as 8 hours. “Access to fast charging facilities must be fostered to increase the market share of electric vehicles,” the report stated. The Survey also said that India has the potential to emerge as an EV manufacturing hub that can generate employment and growth opportunities. Recommendations to increase EV adoption The Survey proposed the following ways to increase electric vehicle adoption in India: Appropriate policy measures are needed to lower the overall lifetime ownership costs of EVs to make them an attractive alternative to conventional vehicles for users; Come up with universal charging standards for the country to increase investment in the development of charging infrastructure; It is also important to provide information on public electric vehicle chargers through online maps and other means, such as physical signage; As batteries form the most important part of…
