Sustainable mobility is what the industry needs to focus on. Well, that’s what industry veterans and environmentalists debated on day three of mega ‘two-wheeler week’ organised by Autocar Professional.

CSE's Executive Director- Research & Advocacy, Anumita Roychoudhary said, "There should be a regulatory mandate, a clear target & timebound implementation strategy. That is the global learning as well. Simultaneously, ICE industry should prepare for the BS VII transition. It is important to give the industry a long-term viability vision." She was part of the panel which also included Mahua Acharya, MD & CEO, Convergence Energy Services, Pankaj Dubey, Co-founder and Director, Power Global US & CEO & MD Power Global India and Sanjeev Saxena, President-Automotive, Schaeffler.

Highlighting the gradual evolution of the EV products across Indian markets, Mahua Acharya, MD & CEO, Convergence Energy Services expects that "In about five years we will not need subsidies for electric buses and by three years for PVs. For electric two-wheelers, the market will speak for itself. We will see more electric buses, which are the highest impact vehicles on the emission front."

As the market dynamics kick in and scale becomes a function of demand, Power Global India's CEO & MD, Pankaj Dubey added that, "The economics of an electric two-wheeler work on the number of kilometres you put in. EVs have low cost of running and cost of maintenance is also very low compared to ICE vehicles. This is the reason why electric three-wheelers have clicked in India."

Given the increased use of electric three-wheelers for last mile connectivity, Schaeffler India's Sanjeev Saxena pointed out that, "Only electrification is not the only solution for greener mobility. Sustainability of the entire automotive supply chain is vital."

Financial viability of the EVs is the other key factor that needs to be considered. Dubey outlined that "The economics of an electric two-wheeler work on the number of kilometres you put in. EVs are low cost running and cost of maintenance is also very low compared to ICE vehicles. This is the reason why electric 3-wheelers have clicked in India."

The speakers were unanimous in agreeing that technology development has to ensure that there is no need for subsidy with respect to EV adoption over the longer term. However, battery disposal system is a critical area that needs to be looked into when it comes to vehicle electrification.