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India Wants to Cut Down on its Gas Guzzling Fleet

India has a lot of people (1.3 billion) and there are more than 14 cars per 1,000 people in this country and most of them are big-time polluters. Recently, India started looking for viable ways to cut down on their gas and diesel-powered fleet to save lives and make the country cleaner as a result.

At Hendrick Collision Dale Earnhardt JR Chevrolet, we want a better planet here in Tallahassee, FL and all over the world, so we are delighted to share this blog with you.

In a May 2017 report released by NITI Aayog, India's policy commission, the country could reportedly save nearly $60 billion in energy costs by 2030 by gravitating more toward electric and shared cars.

This highly-regarded policy think-tank has strongly recommended limiting the registration of gasoline and diesel cars via a series of public lotteries. Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this think tank recently published a 15-year plan for the overall electrification of vehicles in India and is expected to set up the foundation for the country's new green car policy.

This report was co-authored by the U.S.-based consultant company named Rocky Mountain Institute, that presented three major alterations in India's transportation system:

1.) Shifting over from private vehicle ownership to shared ownership.

2.) Moving from gas and diesel to electric vehicles and 3.) Switching to cars that are designed for humans that live and work in cities with large populations.

It won't be easy, but it's surely doable, according to the U.S. consultant. "Such a transformation could set up India as the world's leader in clean, shared, and connected passenger mobility, while establishing a model of low-carbon solutions for other developing nations to follow them," the report, co-authored by Rocky Mountain Institute, stated.  

In addition, the report endorsed providing fiscal and monetary incentives and subsidies to promote the marketing of electric vehicles and utilizing tax money derived from the sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles to set up EV charging station throughout India. Also, it has recommended the reduction of interest rates and electricity taxes for EV taxis and establishing a consortium for manufacturing standardized batteries and customary components to reduce the overall cost and establishing a battery-swapping facilities. Also, the report suggested forming a regulatory body to produce, update and abridge the regulatory framework for EVs and piloting the recommendations in a few smaller towns before deploying throughout the rest of India.

The fact that India wants to get greener is a big deal and a definitive move in the right direction. As they integrate more electric cars into their fleet, we will hopefully be able to see that the air quality (along with the quality of life) have dramatically improved.

Sources: BBC, AOL and Forbes