? According to The International Energy Agency (IAE), world governments ought to do more to meet climate goals with policies that favour electric vehicles, and India’s proposed electric highway project is expected to be a substantial step in that direction.
? The central government is mulling over the concept of an ‘electric highway’, to be built between the national capital of Delhi and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
? The government is already in talks with a foreign company to build the electric highway between these two cities and that the construction work might start very soon if the discussions come through.
? Hindustan Times’ sister publication HT Auto reports that in addition to the Delhi-Jaipur stretch, another electric highway may also be constructed between Delhi and Mumbai, and talks are on with a Swedish firm regarding that.
? With the world moving on from conventional fuels to alternative sources of energy for powering transport, electricity is currently the most popular choice for powering motors of propulsion in vehicles. If the proposed electric highway comes through, it will see vehicles powered by electricity ply on the stretch – the first of these will be between Delhi to Jaipur; and later, if everything goes well, the Delhi-Mumbai stretch may see another of these electric highways.
? Electric vehicles are not just limited to small road vehicles. Buses, trucks, and railway engines may also eventually be powered by electricity.
Electric vehicles, the future of transportation
? An electric vehicle (EV) uses one or more electric motors for propulsion and can be powered either by an electric current collector system (for example, the overhead lines or electric third rails powering trams or electric locomotives), a battery (can be charged by solar panels or by converting fuel to electricity using fuel cells or a generator), and any other extravehicular sources of power.
? Because of the diverse range of options available, EVs are not limited to road vehicles; electricity can theoretically power the railway, aircraft, spacecraft, and even underwater vessels. It has also been described as one of the 100 best contemporary solutions to address climate change and is expected to reduce conventional transportation’s drastic impact on global warming and the environment.