EESL celebrates World EV Day, failed to talk about e-waste and recycling of batteries

EESL

Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) celebrating the World EV Days said that it is combating the air pollution in the nation by driving India’s e-mobility transition. However, the firm did not discuss about the electronic wastes and recycling of batteries that these electric vehicles carry.

EESL in a statement said that it has already deployed 1514 electric vehicles on road till date, under the National E-Mobility Programme; making a remarkable impact on the environment by enabling reduction of 5360 tonnes of CO2 emissions so far.

The fleet of around 1514 electric vehicles, deployed on road by EESL, has travelled 3 crore green kilometers, reducing emissions to the tune of 5604 tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide) 784.25 kg of PM (particulate matter). These hazardous emissions are associated with chronic respiratory diseases and pose a serious threat to public health.

Despite restrictions such as ban on firecrackers during Diwali, and guidelines on the real estate industry, air pollution in India remains to be a major concern. Emissions from vehicles that run on fossil fuels are one of the biggest contributors to air quality deterioration.

Electric vehicles provide a solution to air pollution and contribute to sustainable development. Electric vehicles deployed by EESL have already helped save 2.09 million liters of fuel and led to energy savings of approximately INR 1359.4 lakh, said the company in a statement.

According to scientists electric vehicles can help save the planet, but their batteries pose a serious challenge to the world’s recycling infrastructure. Its time that the country like India improve and scale up recycling methods now, also widely talk about the recycling of e-wastes.

Paper published in the journal Nature highlights that more than 1 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2017. The study authors estimate that those cars alone will ultimately result in 250,000 tons of discarded battery packs. If those were to end up in landfills, they’d run the risk of going through a process called “thermal runaway,” which is basically a chemical reaction in the battery that can cause it to heat up, potentially to the point of burning or exploding

With the aim to provide an impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem, the Government of India launched the National E-Mobility Programme in 2018. The objective of this programme is to create a sustainable demand for e-vehicles, promote domestic manufacturing for both EVs and lithium-ion battery, reduce oil imports and GHG emissions from the transport sector.

Saurabh Kumar, EVC, EESL stated, “There are no two ways about the fact that the future of mobility, not only in India but globally, is electric and it is time we equipped ourselves for it. With a supportive policy framework, India’s journey towards electric mobility has commenced. It is now incumbent upon us as stakeholders to join forces and enable a clean, green, and electric future for better public health and quality of life for ourselves and our coming generations.”

EESL is also working assiduously towards accelerating the EV adoption in India. The company is aggressively working towards building a robust EV charging ecosystem in the country.

 As on date, 534 Captive chargers (342 AC & 192 DC) have also been commissioned in State/UT of Andaman & Nicobar Island, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

EESL has signed agreements with various PSUs, Government departments, State Governments, Taxi Aggregators for deploying e-cars.

Till date, 156 nos. of Public Charging Stations (PCS) have been installed in NDMC Delhi, SDMC Delhi, CMRL Chennai, Maha Metro Nagpur, Noida Authority, Naya Raipur Development Authority and NKDA Kolkata. Furthermore, India’s first public charging plaza at Chelmsford Club, New Delhi was inaugurated on 20th July 2020. The charging plaza can charge 14 e-cars at the same time.

EESL plans to leverage efficiencies of scale and drive down costs through its innovative business model, while supporting local manufacturing facilities, gaining technical competencies for the long-term growth of the EV industry and enabling Indian EV manufacturers to emerge as major global players.

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