Survey finds 87% vehicle owners ready to switch to electric vehicles: Report

New Delhi, Sept 18: Various efforts have been taken to deal with the problem of vehicular pollution in India and particularly in the national capital where the odd-even plan was put to use by the local Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal. But nothing concrete came out. Now, a survey has come out with some encouraging news. It says a whopping 87 per cent of Indian vehicle owners and drivers are ready to go for electric vehicles (EVs) if that helped in reducing air pollution, IndiaSpend reported.

The survey, commissioned by Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation Climate Trends, also said that 12 per cent of the vehicle owners were ready to change to EVs to avoid using fuels like petrol and diesel, the prices of which are skyrocketing, the report added.

The polling covered over 2,000 Indian drivers, owners and those who planned to own a vehicle. Last year, India saw sale of about 9 lakh EVs, which is four per cent of the number of diesel and petrol vehicles sold.

The survey's findings were launched on September 6, a day before the start of a two-day conference organised by NITI Aayog, the Centre's think-tank. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was likely to launch a policy on 'Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles' (FAME-II), a much awaited policy for the country's EV industry, the IndiaSpend report added.

The launch though was deferred as there was a need to rework the policy after Modi hinted at a major change in the policy thrust, IndiaSpend cited a Times of India report as saying.

The new policy will focus on lessening the price of the EV batteries, which will be a deviation from its earlier focus on reducing the cost of the entire vehicle by means of subsidies, said the ToI report.

Transportation pollution a major concern in India

The scenario found through the survey is encouraging for in India, transportation accounts for about 11 per cent of the carbon emissions and is a major cause of air pollution in several cities across the country. As per a report of the World Health Organization which was revealed this year, no less than 14 of world's 20 most polluted cities are located in India.

This alarming situation has also adversely affected the car operators - drivers and owners. The poor quality of the air is making everybody suffer, the survey found, and in Delhi alone, about 91 per cent of those surveyed said either them or someone from their family or neighbourhood were hit by air pollution.

Other Indian cities where the situation is worrying are Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata - in that order - said the survey.

The alternative - the EVs - though appear realistic, there have been some problems with it. While 60 per cent of the respondents of the survey said the lack of charging stations of these vehicles is a major obstacle, 46 per cent pointed out at inadequate driving range.

Other concerns over EVs have been their excessive time consumption in recharging (31 per cent); not as stylish as petrol and diesel vehicles (26 per cent) and high costs (25 per cent).

The hope was more on two-wheelers to lead the market of electric mobility than four wheelers.