Roundtable on “Road-map for Electrifying IPT sector in Indian Cities” at Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2018
ICLEI South Asia organised a roundtable on “Road-map for Electrifying IPT Sector in Indian Cities” at Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2018 in Nagpur from 2nd to 4th of November 2018. The annual UMI Conference and Expo is a flagship event held under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
The roundtable was around the idea that numerous cities intend to accelerate the electrification of the IPT sector, however very little documented information exists. Given that the electric three-wheeler market is the low hanging opportunity in India even though still in its nascent stages of development. Cities are unclear on the costs and timelines required for complete electrification of their IPT systems.
The discussion was chaired by Dr. P.K. Sarkar, Retd. Professor at School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi and co-chaired by Dr. Ramnath Sonawane, C.E.O. Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited. It was attended by government officials, electric mobility experts, vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers and operators of e-autos and E-rickshaws.
Presentations on Low Carbon IPT Action Plan for Udaipur city(CapaCITIES project, Ravi Gadepalli), the case study of e-rickshaw operationalisation in Gwalior city(GSCDCL) and battery swapping technology(Sun Mobility) were made to initiate the discussion on various technical barriers. The presentations were followed by detailed discussions. The vehicle manufacturers and charging infra providers shared their remarks on alternative technologies, costs, business models and timelines for implementation. The government agencies discussed the next steps to shift towards electric IPT System i.e. identifying alternative technologies, business models and tendering conditions that cities can pursue.
ICLEI through its efforts is involved with several cities transitioning the three-wheeler auto-rickshaw based IPT fleets from the current fossil fuel technologies to electric mobility as a key emission mitigation opportunity.