Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are the future – we must have heard this a lot by now. But what can we do to see to it that the next big electric revolution will not only be a sustainable one but would also be an all-inclusive one for all?

Most of us must have seen EV’s becoming a small routine in our everyday commute. Be it the new electric rickshaws making their way through the busy traffic, the incipient electric cars with their eye-catchy designs, or the custom-build electric two-wheelers zipping past congested roads and narrow lanes of our cities. 

We have seen them, and some of us must have ridden them, either as our personal vehicles or in the form of shared public commutes by now. But despite all this, we still have a long way to go in helping people adopt EV’s in their personal lifestyles. 

Generating demand

While the present initiatives of the government mainly focus on the increased domestic production of Electric Vehicles (EV’s), we still have a long way to go in creating a sustained demand for EV’s as personal and shared mobility for the future, both for individual commute and to help businesses grow.

Some of the steps the regulatory authorities could take to increase the use of EV’s are:

1. Standardizing the use of battery design and specifications, so that battery stations could become adaptable and inter-operable to charge batteries of different companies.
2. Creating incentives structures, like tax breaks, individual or community sops, to help people choose EV’s in the long run over other modes of transport.
3. Encouraging and subsidizing fleet operators who provide shared mobility, both for people mobility and goods delivery for bulk purchase and deploying electric vehicles.
4. Having mandates that incentivize public transport systems like those of schools, large-scale organizations, etc, to quickly convert a major part of their fleet into EVs.
5. Putting together efficient and transparent systems in place that help EV makers quickly access vehicle-related resources and data to streamline operations.

These measures along with many other initiatives will not only help governments create a recurring cycle of demand, but would also familiarize people with the virtues of using EVs and finding new avenues of growth with them.

An all-inclusive growth

Another difference, we now find in the use of these electric vehicles, is how many of them are used by people of all sections of society in their day-to-day needs. Be it the college student working part-time using electric bikes to earn some extra income, women delivery agents using green mobility to sustain themselves, or the usual office-goer using shared electric bikes to move around comfortably through the hustle-and-bustle of the city.

As Electric Vehicles will become commonplace in the not-too-distant future, Yulu is playing a small part in seeing to it that EVs remain not only a dream of the few. Yulu electric bikes will not only make travel easier and affordable for all but could also open up new avenues of income and growth for people of different social stratums and demographics. 

Women still have a lot to contribute to the gig economy of the nation. While we have seen good growth in food delivery and first-and-last mile delivery of goods and services, there is still much to be done with respect to women getting a bigger share of these opportunities. And with Yulu bikes, which don’t require a driving license for use, and are easy to access and use, women could take up gig work in their neighboring areas and earn an income. 

Shared mobility also helps youths add to the economy early in their life, and learn how to earn and save money. Therefore, it is necessary to have an accommodative and agile regulatory environment that makes shared mobility in public spaces not only safe and seamless but also an all-inclusive and go-to means of commuting for all.

A shared journey

The high cost of owning personal mobility and fluctuating fuel prices make a dent in the consumers’ pockets. While shared mobility is cost-efficient, the use of EVs also helps reduce pollution, mitigate climate change and help us in promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. 

Shared EV’s will also help in better planning and linking of urban spaces, through the implementation of first-and-last mile connectivity solutions, making the daily commute a little more comfortable for the elderly and the disabled, introducing dedicated driving lanes to streamline everyday traffic and reduce the clutter and dense concentration of populations in certain places by expanding the city limits. 

And connecting all these is the wide network of battery swapping and charging points that are necessary for the accelerated adoption of electric vehicles. Yulu this year started Max Network stations, the largest network of battery charging and swapping stations implemented on ground. Yulu’s Max Network is currently used to full capacity in many of its locations, showing the growth in usage of e-bikes for goods delivery in last-mile connectivity. 

Together with all these, EV’s will create many technological breakthroughs and data points, be it in planning policies, setting up new business hubs, ensuring the safety of EV users, or implementing government welfare measures, that will create a backbone for solving many societal problems in the future that could be used by all.