EV Adoption Challenges in India, and Hygge Energy’s Solution
Rohit Kumar
Rohit is one of India’s young trendsetters in the EV sector and a stalwart of the green energy revolution in the country. An IIT and MDI, Gurgaon alumnus, his pioneering ideas and strong initiatives have contributed immensely to the improving EV adoption scenario. He played a key role in setting up India's first EV charging station, which has helped shape government policy in favor of EV proliferation across the country. He is currently the EV Charging Strategy Lead at one of India's leading Oil & Gas companies.
India is cognizant of three major challenges that the EV charging industry faces in the country: the uncertainty of EV adoption, the constraints of grid capacity and reliability, and the negative environmental effects of using conventional energy sources for EV charging.
A recent study by Castrol published in The Economic Times revealed that “a price point of Rs 23 lakhs (or $31,000), a charge time of 35 minutes and a range of 401 kilometers (from a single charge) represent the ‘tipping points’ to achieve mainstream EV adoption” in India. If all these tipping points are met as expected, then the EV market in India could be worth $2 billion by 2025.
While the outlook is largely positive, roadblocks do exist that could delay the meeting of these tipping points. Affordability is critical to the success of EVs in India, but the cost of EVs is currently quite high in the country, as is the cost of batteries. There is a high dependency on incentives for manufacturing and a high reliance on imports for components and parts. After-sales service is unexceptional, and repair and maintenance options are few. The choice in high-performance electric cars is limited as well. Misconceptions about maintenance costs, range anxiety and long charging durations also contribute to unease in purchase of EVs. All these constraints serve to hamper the progress of EV adoption in the country.
“. . . the cost of EVs is currently quite high in the country, as is the cost of batteries. There is a high dependency on incentives for manufacturing and a high reliance on imports for components and parts.”
From an EV charging perspective, electricity is still not reliable in large portions of the country. As a result, EV charging stations may at times rely on diesel generators to power EV chargers – hardly an environmentally friendly option for environmentally conscious drivers. In addition to lack of reliable electricity supply, there is the problem of lack of proper grid infrastructure to support EV charging, resulting in transformer overload and hence high repair costs. Upgrading transformers is not a cost-effective solution to this problem as, in addition to being expensive enough by itself, it often has to be accompanied by costs pertaining to upgraded cabling. To top it off, the EV charging station’s utility bill increases by a significant amount.
“. . . electricity is still not reliable in large portions of the country . . . EV charging stations may at times rely on diesel generators to power EV chargers . . . there is the problem of lack of proper grid infrastructure to support EV charging”
Hygge Energy’s Zero Emission E-Mobility solution has demonstrably addressed a majority of the issues that arise from the charging perspective. The system uses hybrid microgrids that integrate solar PV, batteries and grid supply, and use solar power to charge EVs. A lot of fuel stations in India have already invested in renewable energy as per Government of India mandates. Hygge Energy’s system leverages these installations to provide clean and reliable energy supply to charge EVs. Not only does this give a 100% solar energy based EV charge, but also refrains from overloading the distribution transformer (as grid power is not used to charge EVs), thereby saving all the costs that would have gone into transformer upgrade and the resulting higher electricity bills. In fact, this system has demonstrated positive IRRs even when there is no EV adoption by feeding back solar power to the charging station such that it can become completely off-grid. This significantly lowers utility bills. Therefore, it is a profitable solution irrespective of EV adoption.
The Indian government’s announcement permitting sale and registration of EVs without pre-fitted batteries has ensured a decline in EV costs, especially for two-wheelers and three-wheelers. These EVs with delinked batteries will rely on battery-swapping depots, which are already a part of Hygge Energy’s solution. The EV charging system has an easy to roll out design that, if required, has the capability to be scaled and rapidly implemented all around the country, thereby addressing many drivers’ range anxiety issues. Additionally, Hygge Energy’s system comes with an EV mobile app that can be used for booking and paying for EV charging slots. Its community aspect will play a major role in providing education, creating awareness and dispelling misconceptions about EVs and EV charging, as well as providing resources for drivers to find entertainment while their EVs are being charged.
“Hygge Energy’s system leverages these installations to provide clean and reliable energy supply to charge EVs . . . EV mobile app that can be used for booking and paying for EV charging slots.”
Overall, Hygge Energy’s Zero Emission E-Mobility is a win-win solution for both EV charging station owners and Hygge Energy as it addresses all three major challenges to EV adoption.
