Focus on EVs and solar power integration

As the Karnataka government gears up to fulfill the five guarantees promised in its pre-poll manifesto, which include offering free travel for women on KSRTC buses, one significant commitment involves increasing the fleet of electric buses by 50 per cent in two years and promoting the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads.

As environmentalists affirm, EVs not only reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also other pollutants like particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and black carbon. A recent study by the Centre for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) stated that India accounted for 2.9 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2019. The transportation sector accounts for roughly 10 per cent of this, or 290 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

According to CSTEP, vehicles on the road in Bengaluru are projected to grow by nearly 1.5 times (from 5.7 million vehicles to 8.9 million vehicles) by 2030. If some 2.3 million EVs are added to the fleet, it will roughly reduce 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. However, the Centre estimates that 6 million units of electricity would be required to recharge this EV fleet daily.

According to the Economic Survey 2022–23, India’s EV market is expected to rise to one crore unit sales per year by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49% between 2022 and 2030. The survey also noted that by December 2022, India would have become the third-largest automobile market, surpassing Japan and Germany in terms of sales. According to industry estimates, by 2022, EV sales in India will be around 10 lakh units. EV scooters in India cost upwards of Rs 41,000, and four-wheelers cost upwards of Rs 7.5 lakh.

Given that EVs are here to stay, all that Karnataka’s transport ministry needs to do is create supporting infrastructure, mainly public charging points. According to the available data, there are some 154 charging stations across the city. The pre-poll Congress manifesto also said that it would make it compulsory for apartments, junctions, and highways to install charging points. Besides these, the transport department should also look at allocating dedicated space for charging bays at multi-story parking lots. Some of the newer malls have already installed charging stations in their basement parking lots.

But will the city have enough power to fuel these charging stations?

According to the Karnataka Energy Department website, as of April 30, 2023, the installed capacity of the various sources of energy was 31905.61 megawatts (MW). This includes hydro, thermal, CGS, wind, co-generation, mini-hydro, biomass, solar, captive, and IPP. What is promising to note is that solar power accounts for 8079.34 MW. According to the Karnataka Renewable Energy Policy 2022–2027, Karnataka is among the leading states in renewable energy (RE) in the country, with an RE generation capacity of about 15,392 MW as of December 2021.

CSTEP also observed in its study that for a complete green transition in Bengaluru, about 1.3 GW of rooftop solar panels would need to be set up. The Economic Survey also echoed this sentiment, stating that with the growing demand for electric vehicles in the nation, the country would play a critical role in transitioning to green energy.

As the state’s transport ministry gets to work implementing the pre-poll promise of free bus travel for women, the ministry should also come up with policies to encourage solar rooftop panels to power EV charging stations. This will go a long way towards reducing the pressure on the state’s power grid.

But the challenge in Bengaluru is that it has one of the highest numbers of two-wheelers on the roads. The ‘city of two-wheelers,’ as it is often referred to, has two wheelers taking up almost 70 per cent of traffic; even if a concerted effort is made to switch to EVs, it won’t ease the vehicular pressure on the roads.

What will ease the pressure on the roads is a more efficient public transport system and reliable last-mile EV connectivity from metro stations. This will encourage more people to switch to public transportation. There are already media reports that the newly inked free bus travel for women scheme is bringing not only women but also families to the state’s public transport system.

While this is encouraging news, more such proactive schemes will show political will to turn Bengaluru into a city of sustainable mobility solutions.

(The writer is a journalist and author.)