Green scheme
Electric vehicles also off er an environmental
benefi t for countries reliant on imported oil.
This is already steering policy in India; one of
the largest automotive markets, but reliant on
bringing 80% of oil in from elsewhere. Aiming
for 100% electric vehicle sales by 2030, the
government set out targets for charging
infrastructure earlier this year. Heavy
import duties on used cars and
incentives reserved for locallyproduced
EVs are good
foundations for domestic
production.
In India, these vehicles are
helping to establish shared
mobility solutions. Tata Motors
only uses Indian-made
components in the Tigor EV, a
compact electric sedan designed for
fl eets, while Mahindra is readying a
facility with a 25,000-unit capacity which will
also allow full EV drivetrains to be made in the
country. It’s partnering with car sharing and
ride hailing services, and recently launched
India’s fi rst three-wheeled EV with a lithiumion
battery. Suzuki and Toyota are
collaborating on a shared battery plant in
Gujarat, to underpin a joint EV launch in 2020.
Niewenhuis says rapid urbanization in India
means municipalities have a lot of power to
“If you look at sub-Saharan Africa,
apart from South Africa, most of
those countries don’t buy new”
Paul Niewenhuis, clean transport academic and EV specialist
steer uptake: “A lot of the two and threewheelers
80 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
are not owned by the drivers, they’re
owned by big companies and some have state
involvement. So you can turn around a fl eet
like that to electric vehicles fairly quickly.”
Markets with their own fuel industry could
be tougher to crack. Despite Latin America’s
widespread, renewable-heavy electrical
infrastructure, it’s also a region where ethanol
is locally produced and widely
used as road fuel. So,
electrifi cation is being adapted
to suit. Following a four-year
development process, Toyota
will begin production of Latin America’s
fi rst market-specifi c hybrid in Brazil next
year. It’s also the only hybrid capable of
running on both E100 ethanol and gasoline.
But even oil-rich countries are taking steps
to move away from fossil fuel dependence and
make better use of solar power. There’s a small
market for luxury EVs in wealthy Middle
Eastern countries, while Saudi Arabia’s
government has invested in American
manufacturers Lucid and Tesla. Change is
taking place quickly around the world, but
it won’t necessarily be the earliest adopters
who are quickest to make the switch.
7. Mahindra is investing
heavily in EV market
technology including ridehailing
services
5. Until now, some
nations have relied on
importing EVs
6. Electric vehicle
markets are growing
globally
5
6
7
DEVELOPING NATIONS
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