The Middle-Class meets an Electric Vehicle.
After almost ten years, it was time for us to purchase a vehicle. I was certain that I could persuade my father to purchase an EV rather than an ICE vehicle, but he was adamant about doing so. At the time, I knew he was mistaken, but I was still naive. However, now that I have spent a lot of time learning about the Indian EV market, I have come to the conclusion that he was unquestionably correct about purchasing an EV. In this article, I’ll discuss some of the difficulties that exist.
My father claimed that it is still too early to get an electric vehicle and that he would not take the chance. The people are not at all comfortable purchasing an electric car, and I’m not talking about a 4W, if you were to ask me right now. I would cite two main obstacles as to why consumers are still hesitant to purchase an EV in India.
The first reason is the high price of an electric variant, which is nearly twice as expensive as the same variant in gasoline or diesel. Let’s take the example of the Tata Nexon, which has both a gasoline-powered and an electric variant; the price of the electric variant is more than twice as high as the price of the fuel-powered variant. The Tata Nexon EV won’t be purchased by a middle-class Indian who is so price-sensitive; these individuals always put their own interests ahead of that of the larger good. The goal for a greener future won’t be visible to them until the price is comparable to a fuel alternative, not if it becomes a burden.Additionally, I would like to add that there should be more options available that fit a middle class family’s budget. Since these families typically purchase cars between 4 and 7 lacs, more options must be made available in this price range. Only with the support of this demographic group can the entire electric model be successful. With the exception of a few cars, which are mostly classified as taxis, there are currently no competitive alternatives.
The second factor is range anxiety. Many people I spoke with, including commercial EV fleet operators, said they were reluctant to increase their EV fleet because they were apprehensive of the entire charging procedure. Aside from a few locations in the city, there are not enough established charging points, and those that are put up are poorly expanded and restricted to the city’s central area. The overall usability of the car is a factor that the middle class considers when choosing a vehicle, and this is an area where electric vehicles lag behind due to a weak infrastructure for charging them. We reviewed the maps and found that there were no charging stations installed up to the north along NH-8 or NH44, so you cannot take the car if I want to take it outside the city. No one will even consider bringing these cars outside of Delhi. The majority of the charging stations were installed by TATA and were practically nonexistent. There is still more to be done in terms of establishing reliable charging stations; although advancements have been made, we are currently moving at extremely slow pace.
As was already noted, it is a beginning in the right direction, but much more needs to be done across the country, not just in the cities but also outside of them to create a network.
