By Avik Chattopadhyay
The spark
On February one, 2021, after the funds presentation, on staying asked by a television reporter why there was no point out of electric mobility, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Street Transport and Highways Minister, created an exciting remark. “The state requirements to investigate more self-enough and self-reliant strategies of powering mobility to reduce our dependence on imports!”
This was significant and one requirements to go through amongst the lines especially if one couples the Nationwide Hydrogen Mission [NHM] that was announced by the Finance Minister.
On February eight, the Ministry of New & Renewable Vitality explained to the media that the draft of NHM will be ready in two months. Backlink this with the point that Delhi inducted Hydrogen-CNG buses in its fleet in October 2020.
Quick ahead a number of months, and on February 23, the Indian Auto LPG Coalition [the market physique of auto LPG stakeholders] impressed upon the govt to market a number of choice thoroughly clean energy alternatives for mobility relatively than emphasis only on electric. The finish energy grid failure in Texas a number of days back owing to the freak snowstorm had introduced all electric mobility to a standstill and was a very clear demonstration of what they intended.
The knock
So, is India’s honeymoon with electric mobility around? Have we already realised that the dodgy energy source condition even in metro metropolitan areas and the around-dependence on coal for generating electric power is not so ‘clean’ after all?
Methanol, CNG, Bio-CNG and Hydrogen are the 4 choice energy alternatives to emphasis on, in tandem with electric, alongside with the common fossil fuels which are unable to be wished away at least for the next 15-twenty yrs.~
We are lacking the major announcements from the central govt for some time now. It is as if the missionary zeal has been handed around to the states in this relay race. Ten states have already announced their electric mobility policies with Delhi absolutely hogging the limelight with its Change Delhi initiative. 3 or 4 other states have their draft options ready.The honeymoon is still on. Seem at the buzz around Tesla coming to India, as if it is likely to emancipate the country. Professionals are self-confident that it will strengthen the great importance of electric mobility as the one and only option for India.
I believe that that is a very narrow watch of a sustainable energy option for a state as wide, diverse, and opinionated as ours. India requirements a number of energy alternatives, functioning at the very same time, complementary and cross-contributing. Stand-by itself alternatives will not work any more. It are unable to be only fossil fuels for one hundred and only electric for the next one hundred. We have to have to work out our special ‘Atmanirbhar’ combine of energy methods for addressing all forms of mobility, suitable from the motorised vegetable cart to the luxurious inter-point out bus.
The spot
The twin targets are very clear – make improvements to our energy stability, and make improvements to our atmosphere.
The element of ‘energy security’ is important as it has implications on import of fossil fuels today and any other uncooked product or input tomorrow, like lithium and cobalt. Just one are unable to basically substitute one with the other. Safety indicates relying on domestic sources of energy and uncooked products for the very same as much as doable.
Of the close to 250 million metric tonnes of fuel utilized for road mobility, only around 17{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} is from domestic production. Diesel helps make up around 70{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} of whole usage, petrol around twenty{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} and the rest is coated by CNG etc. Street transportation accounts for 60{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} of all diesel consumed, followed by agriculture at 18{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0}. Two-wheelers consume 60{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} of petrol.
In the very same vein, enhancing atmosphere, specifically air high-quality, implies that not only really should the vehicles be as inexperienced as doable but also the strategies to produce the energy that propels them.
Increase the relentless increase in fuel costs around the past 24 months and one are unable to but appear at a sustainable and well balanced combine of energy selections.
India will have to have special and pertinent energy alternatives to energy it into a 5-trillion greenback overall economy by 2025. Mobility will be central to this accomplishment, and without the need of a well balanced and considered combine we might be remaining lamenting even in 2031!~
So, I reached out to a number of domain gurus from believe-tanks, oil businesses, tech exploration institutions, and automakers, to take in their views on what an excellent option can be. I was pleasantly shocked by the enthusiasm with which they shared their convictions on the way ahead, every single staying dedicated to the spot. All that I share from now is a fruits of their inputs, and some desk exploration I did, to get there at my point of watch.
The route[s]
The 19th century mystic saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had reported in Bengali, “Joto mot, toto poth” which indicates, “Many views, quite a few paths” implying that all routes will direct to one universal reality.
Likewise, there are a number of energy alternatives for India’s mobility, every single aiming at enhancing energy stability and the atmosphere.
I shall not speak about electric here, as much has been created extolling its virtues. I shall appear at 6 possibilities. The parameters I shall use for analyzing them are: –
·Easy availability of uncooked product / inputs
·Ease of transportation and storage
·Affordability
·Environment-friendly for both production and usage – ‘well-to-wheel’
·Economic viability
·Compatibility with the present car parc
Bio-ethanol
Bio-ethanol is an alcohol-centered energy fluid created from sugar-centered bio-mass [like sugarcane, sorghum, and sweet beet] and starch made up of solutions [like corn and cassava]. In India close to 98{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} of ethanol is created applying sugarcane and molasses. From 2008 the govt has allowed petrol to be blended with 10{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} ethanol [E10] with the concentrate on to go up to twenty{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} by 2030 [E20].
Nevertheless, production by the oil businesses has been much reduce owing to the conflict with “food security”. Transportation has also been an challenge with focused pipelines not still in put.Even if it is suitable with latest 2-wheelers [2Ws] and passenger vehicles [PVs], pan-India availability of uncooked product has been a constant restricting issue to seeing this choice take centre-stage.
Methanol
< p>Identical to ethanol, methanol is yet another alcohol-centered energy fluid created from bio-mass, pure gas, coal and cellulose. This fuel has powerful assistance from some key believe-tanks like NITI Aayog, according to some sources. A three{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} mix is staying attempted on petrol-operate 2Ws and PVs. Checks have demonstrated that methanol sales opportunities to excessive corrosion in latest engines staying utilized. Adopting methanol would have to have modifications in both engine factors as very well fuel dispensing stations. India does not have far too much of pure gas and coal is not the cleanest of sources [as in electric power]. Supplied its corrosive nature, transporting, and storing methanol will need specific investments.
Final 7 days, a crew from College of Illinois, Chicago, wrote in the journal Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences that it has been able to change methane in pure gas into liquid methanol at home temperature. This certainly has created technologists sit up in pleasure!
Bio-diesel
Bio-diesel is a fuel created from non-edible oils, acid oils, utilized cooking oils, animal fats etc. From 2015, around 5{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} has been blended with high-pace diesel. Although fully suitable with all latest PVs and industrial vehicles [CVs], lack of typical feedstock source and its fast degradation when saved for a extensive time has not found its acceptance increase in spite of the economics staying evidently in its favour.
CNG
CNG is a gaseous energy not new to all of us viewers. There are an estimated three million vehicles operating on CNG saving nearly three{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} of fossil fuels. The concentrate on is to have twenty million CNG vehicles by 2030 centered on an boost in dispensing network from the measly 1700 stations [vis-à-vis 55,000 for petrol + diesel] to 10,000.
Automakers like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are betting major on CNG as tomorrow’s fuel.
Bio-CNG
Bio-CNG is a purified biogas,with properties identical to CNG. It is created from biomass, agricultural residues, foods squander, animal dung and sewage h2o. It can be dispensed from the very same outlets that carry CNG. As a gaseous energy this has remarkable prospective offered its all-India footprint, masking the rural areas very very well and compatibility with latest 2Ws, PVs, three-wheelers and light industrial vehicles.
I did not expend much time on LNG as we will have to import it and that is counter to the key objective. So, to the past of the possibilities.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a serious challenger to the electric juggernaut. Hydrogen is a zero-carbon fuel which on combustion in common IC engines, directly or blended with petrol or CNG, leaves powering only h2o as a residue. It has the optimum energy written content of all gases at one hundred twenty.seven kilojoules/gram. Most of hydrogen is sourced from hydrocarbons applying pure gas reforming or electrolysis of h2o. Nevertheless, there are other sources like nuclear energy, biomass, solar and wind.
It arrives in three kinds – grey [from fossil fuels], blue [from fossil fuels with carbon seize and storage] and inexperienced [from renewable sources].
The earth already has three Hydrogen Gas Mobile vehicles on sale – Toyota Mirai, Hyundai Nexo and Honda Clarity. Evidence of idea has already transpired. In India, Mahindra and Bajaj have introduced hydrogen-operate three-wheelers. At an 18{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} mix with CNG, H-CNG becomes a very excellent selection and is staying examined successfully. IndianOil and NTPC are operating pilot assignments as are fairly a number of engineering institutes across the state.
The govt has set apart INR 25 crore for R&D as section of the NHM. It is a pittance but at least some favourable intent has been demonstrated. The 5 emphasis areas for the NHM are R&D, demand from customers generation, industrial software, making the eco-process and worldwide partnerships.
Hydrogen does have its Achilles heel in the latest price of production and problems with storage. What then, 5 yrs back price was an challenge with the lithium-ion battery far too!
Right here is my evaluation of the six possibilities on the parameters I have outlined over:
Supply –individual evaluation centered on exterior inputs & exploration
My evaluation claims that Methanol, CNG, Bio-CNG and Hydrogen are the 4 alternate energy alternatives to emphasis on, in tandem with electric, alongside with the common fossil fuels which are unable to just be wished away at least for the next 15-twenty yrs.
Supplied the country’s wide forms of motorised vehicles in operation and regional variations, there requirements to be at least three selections accessible to any unique at any spot in this state, like the common fuels.
The autos
Two-wheelers have to change to bio-ethanol, ethanol or electric. They use up 60{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} of petrol and this dependence has to be introduced down promptly. There really should be a prepare to transfer to E1100 or M100.
3-wheelers are already operating on CNG and electric alongside with diesel and petrol. The use of CNG, Bio-CNG and electric has to develop. Methanol can also be explored, offered the substantial figures and purposes.
Passenger vehicles will also use a combine of selections depending on use for public and private transportation. All public transportation really should transfer to CNG / Bio-CNG / hydrogen / electric. All private vehicles really should slowly change to bio-diesel / hydrogen / electric.
Buses, of all lengths and purposes really should transfer to CNG / Bio-CNG / H-CNG / electric.
Mild industrial vehicles really should keep on with CNG and also adopt Bio-CNG / H-CNG / electric.
Medium and major industrial vehicles really should slowly transition to bio-diesel. Hydrogen can also be explored by some producers in the extensive-operate. The Hyundai Xcient fuel cell truck is already in industrial production. Nikola, Toyota, and Kenworth are checking out the very same.
Rural transportation, be it individuals or goods, will hugely advantage from both bio-diesel and bio-CNG alternatives, especially the latter.
If I had been to crystal-ball gaze into the transition around this 10 years, this is what it could appear like:
Supply –individual evaluation centered on exterior inputs & exploration
To conclude, India will have to have special and pertinent energy alternatives to energy it into a 5-trillion greenback overall economy by 2025. Mobility will be central to this accomplishment and without the need of a well balanced and considered combine, we might be remaining lamenting even in 2031!
(The author is co-creator of Expereal India. Also, he is former head of advertising and marketing, product organizing and PR at Volkswagen India.)
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETAuto.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETAuto.com shall not be responsible for any problems brought about to any man or woman/organisation directly or indirectly.)
