| * Uber/Ola do not own cars, and the owners take out loans to get one. Electric cars can be expensive to be financed for that income group. Uber's endgame is to own self-driving cars and not a normal car, atleast that was the dream :). * Indian car companies do not have electric cars (a real car can go for atleast 200kms a charge/refill). * A car factory(even non-electric) would take atleast 5 years to start churning cars. * Even in that case, it will have to import 40% of the cost ie batteries as India cannot make them. If it starts today, it can in 10 years. * Import duties of fully assembled, SKD and CKD electric cars is very high makes them uncompetitive to petrol/diesel cars. * Direct importing is not viable as it requires certification. * 60% of India's electric supply is coal based. And to top it; * Upto 50% of pollution a car will cause is done during production of the car ie before even a kilometre has been driven. Replacing lots of good working cars from the street is not environment friendly. |
The point that many people make: "* Upto 50% of pollution a car will cause is done during production of the car ie before even a kilometre has been driven. Replacing lots of good working cars from the street is not environment friendly."
It is not just overall pollution, but where and how it is done that it is important. There is a huge difference between controlled pollution, from a factory away from large cities, and thousands of cars spewing emissions right into the core of urban centers. The second would cause more direct health issues and potentially deaths and overall unpleasantness.