India leapfrogging to electric cars despite hybrid alternative

The Indian government wants only electric vehicles to ply on its roads by 2030 as part of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the global agreement on climate change

The move also serves as a path of government's vision to reduce spending on oil imports, which, according to an estimate, could double to an annual $300 billion by that year.

However, the path is riddled with challenges, albeit among several opportunities.

A hybrid vehicle is one which utilises more than one form of onboard energy to achieve propulsion.

In practice, that means a hybrid will have a traditional internal-combustion engine and a fuel tank, as well as one or more electric motors and a battery pack.

Hybrid cars are sometimes mistakenly confused with electric vehicles.

Hybrids are most often gasoline-burning machines that utilize their electric bits to collect and reuse energy that normally goes to waste in standard cars.

Theoretically, diesel-electric hybrids would be even more fuel-efficient, but hybrid systems and diesel engines both represent extra cost.

So far, installing both in the same vehicle has proven to be prohibitively expensive.

In comparison to the American market, buyers of plug-in hybrids benefit from a tax credit ranging between $2,500 and $7,500 depending on the size of the battery in the car, and a few states in the U.S provide additional benefits to electric car owners.

Whereas in the United Kingdom, the government provides a grant of up to 5,000 Great Britain Pound (GBP) on plug-in hybrids, alongside other benefits like exemption from congestion charges, etc.

The government is leapfrogging to an electric vehicles future when they have an alternative to Hybrid.

But then why India is discouraging hybrids?

Seeing the taxes levied by GST on hybrid cars, it seems to be discouraging car buyers from purchasing these green cars.

There are very few hybrids on sale in India right now, and all of them already sell in dismal numbers.

Honda sold only one unit of the Accord in April and none in May, last year.

Toyota sold only 113 units of the Camry in April and 119 in May, and it is safe to assume that the Hybrid variants of the Camry would have clocked just single-digit sales.

With the high tax rates being levied on these Hybrids now, sales can only be expected to go down.

While most countries slowly climb the ladder of green mobility by promoting hybrids first, then plug-in hybrids, and finally all-electric cars, it seems like the Indian government is thinking futuristically, or maybe leapfrogging to electric cars.

The government's 2030 aim is indeed a good plan for the environment but on the whole, it definitely is over-ambitious when one considers our market size and requirement.

The country lacks the required infrastructure for electric cars, which will take them more years than promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.