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Himachal Pradesh To Go 100 Percent Electric By 2030 Says State Government
Himachal Pradesh is set to switch to electric vehicles by 2030. The government of Himachal Pradesh has announced that the state will be established as a model state for electric vehicle adoption. Himachal Pradesh is aiming at 100 percent electrification within a decade.
Electric vehicles are the way forward for the automobile industry across the globe. Hundreds of electric vehicle manufacturers have initiated development of electric vehicles and some of them have even launched electric vehicles.
The Indian market has not adopted electric vehicles as much as other developed countries have. However, the EV market in India has seen immense growth over the last few years. The Indian government is taking an aggressive stance when it comes to electric vehicles.
It was only a month ago that the government reduced the GST on electric vehicles from 12 percent to 5 percent. However, the growth of EVs in the country has not met the expectations of the government.
Back in 2017, the government had set an unrealistic deadline of 100 percent electrification by 2030. This was termed by many as wishful thinking, and sure enough the government too realised its folly within a couple of years.
The central government then set a realistic number of having 30 percent electric vehicles share in the overall automotive sales by 2030. However, the government of Himachal Pradesh seems to be stuck at the 100 percent mark.
The state government called for a meeting to frame the draft for the Himachal Pradesh Electric Vehicle Policy - 2019. The vision of the new policy is to establish Himachal Pradesh as a model state for the adoption of EVs and to provide sustainable, safe, eco-friendly, inclusive and integrated mobility.
Shrikant Baldi, the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh said, "Electric vehicle policy is targeted to achieve 100% transition to electric vehicles by 2030 in the state in alignment with the UN's sustainable development goals and vision of government of India."
Himachal Pradesh is one of the states in the Western Himalayan region. The state is known for its picturesque locations and for its nature tourism. For a state with such vast nature reserves, it is natural for the government to take the reduction of pollution very seriously.
Completely stopping the sale of petrol, diesel and CNG-powered vehicles in the state is one of the ways in which the government can reduce pollution to a large extent. However, the cold climate in the state and adventurous roads pose an additional challenge to electric vehicles.
Batteries are very temperamental and sensitive to temperature change. At extremely high or extremely low temperatures, batteries tend to lose their charge quicker than usual even when not being used. While being used, it drains out even quicker.
Some areas of Himachal Pradesh even to this day have low connectivity and low amount of fuel stations. With electric vehicles, a large number of charging stations will have to be installed if the government wants to be successful in this endeavour.
Shrikant Baldi went on to say, The policy is being framed in the state to create a conductive atmosphere for shift from internal combustion engines to EVs.It will promote the creation of dedicated infrastructure for charging of EVs through various incentives as per standards notified for public charging infrastructure by the ministry of power, government of India guidelines."
The state government is also considering the creation of a business model through this policy. As per this, private players will be invited to set up EV charging infrastructure. The electricity rates for charging EVs too will be brought down.
Thoughts On Himachal Pradesh Going 100 Percent Electric By 2030
The Indian government had targeted 2030 as the deadline to go 100 percent electric across the nation. This did not work out given the vast expanse of the Indian subcontinent, the size of our automobile industry and negative response from manufacturers.
Himachal Pradesh on the other hand is smaller and should be able to install the necessary infrastructure. However, in the end, It all comes down to the people and their acceptance of EVs.