A low-cost charging system for two- and three-wheeler electric vehicles, expected to hit the market in about six months, could prove to be a game-changer for electric mobility in the country.
Two- and three-wheelers account for about 80 per cent of vehicle sales in the country, and are a major source of vehicular emissions. Government officials said the adoption of electric mobility in this segment could be much faster if a low-cost and easily accessible charging system was made available.
The new charging system, developed as a government-industry partnership, could be priced as low as Rs 3,500. Existing charging solutions cost anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. A prototype has already been developed and at least half a dozen companies are currently working to manufacture it on scale, officials said.
The new system has been the result of an initiative led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, and industry and research groups.
As Sumantran pointed out, if these charging systems are available easily, users won’t always look for full charge. “It is like charging your mobile phone, or filling your petrol tank. You want to be in a comfortable position, not necessarily always at full capacity, provided there is an assurance that you will get a recharge when you need it. So a 15-minute charge, for example, would be enough to take the battery from 30 per cent to 70 per cent,” he said