Carving a new road map towards the e-mobility and electric vehicle (EV) transition in the financial capital, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday launched a dedicated EV cell. The State environment and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray who is also the guardian minister of Mumbai suburbs launched the EV cell from Sahyadri Guest House on Wednesday.
The Mumbai Electric Vehicle (EV) Cell is a joint initiative of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and World Resources Institute (WRI) India and will be placed under the environment department of the Mumbai civic body. Under this, the BMC has set up an ambitious target of getting 1,500 EV charging stations and ensuring at least 10 per cent of EV penetration into the city by 2025.
The composition of the Mumbai EV Cell includes government officials, e-mobility experts from WRI India and industry stakeholders. This dedicated cell, conceptualized in 2021, comprises an expert committee to extend holistic support to the state government in enabling a change in consumer behaviour to help them transition to EVs.
In its latest EV policy, the state government has emphasized the adoption of zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles, especially in polluted urban areas like Mumbai. In collaboration with WRI India, MCGM is also drafting Mumbai’s Climate Action Plan to set tangible emission reduction targets for the city. The transport sector currently accounts for roughly a quarter of Mumbai’s total greenhouse emissions.
Talking at the launch, Madhav Pai, Program Executive Director of WRI India Ross Center said, "The EV cell is part of Mumbai's climate action plan (MCAP) and it will eventually become part of the climate cell that will be set up. Also, We will officially release the targets under EV cell with the launch of MCAP."
Pai added: "The purpose and aim of setting up the EV cell are to become a resource or a point of contact for all civic departments for anything related to the transition of EV."
One of the key focus areas of the Mumbai EV Cell will be helping Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking's (BEST) transition to a 100% electric fleet through organizational restructuring, depot prioritization plan and technical support for deployment on key routes. The EV cell will also play a key role in devising a replacement strategy for BEST’s diesel and CNG-run buses with e-buses.
Another key focus area of the EV cell will be to facilitate the installation of charging infrastructure – the fuel of EVs – to help consumers overcome range anxiety that is a major impediment in transition to electric mobility.
In association with Mumbai’s urban local bodies, the EV cell will also help the Maharashtra state government create a comprehensive roadmap for setting up EV charging infrastructure, devise fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, promote public-private partnerships (PPP) and encourage renewable energy production.
According to a city-level analysis conducted by WRI India, the total EV charging energy demand in the city is expected to be 550 MWh by 2025. This anticipated demand would imply the need to set up at least 21,096 charging points across Mumbai by then. The analysis further shows that by 2030, the energy demand is expected to grow sixfold – catapulting the charging point requirement by a whopping 521% (to 3416 MWh), further suggesting a need to set up 1,41,988 charging points across Mumbai by the year 2030.
During the inauguration, Aaditya Thackeray said, “The Mumbai EV Cell has been launched to accelerate EV transition and adoption in the city. With experts working towards sustainable mobility, this cell will assist in creating a network of charging stations, supporting battery development & market penetration."
Elaborating on the state's newly framed EV policy, Thackeray added: "Since the announcement of our EV policy, Maharashtra has seen a jump of 157% in EV registrations. We are also swiftly working towards electrifying the BEST fleet. Currently, 386 BEST buses are electric and will soon touch 50% by 2023 and 100% before 2027. This is just the beginning. We have a long way to go in this hour of climate emergency. I am thankful to WRI India for supporting our efforts. Also grateful to BMC, BEST & most importantly, Mumbaikars, who are the most crucial stakeholders in our efforts towards sustainable development.”
Pawan Mulukutla, Director - Clean Mobility and Energy Tech, WRI India, said, “This partnership will be pivotal in making Maharashtra a model state for EV adoption and a manufacturing hub for components across the value chain. The constitution of a dedicated EV Cell is the logical next step in the creation of a well-integrated approach towards aligning important urban spaces with India’s sustainability targets”.
Action Plan for the transition to electric vehicle (EV):
* Planning rollout of EV charging network by enabling the adoption of regulations, guidelines, and processes.
* Creating long term e-bus adoption plan; developing public policies to support e-bus transition, and identifying financial mechanisms.
* Identify key financing barriers for EV adoption and accelerating government fleet electrification through favourable financing mechanisms.
* Developing EV Ready Development Control Regulations and robust Information, Education and Communication programs for raising awareness about EVs.
* Developing circular recycling and reuse ecosystem for EV batteries in the city.
* Executing selected sandbox program(s) with program development, startup selection, pilot implementation and impact evaluations.
E mobility/ EV Targets for 2025 in Mumbai:
1500 Charging Stations
10% EV Penetration
25% Fleet Operator Electrification (Taxis/ cab aggregators)
25% Public Transport Electrification (BEST)
