India vows all cars sold in the country will be electric by 2030

All cars sold in India will be electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030 in a bid to curb air pollution, according to plans set out by the country’s energy minister.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, stated at the Confederation of Indian Industry Annual Session 2017 in New Delhi: “We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way."

In India, as many as 2.3 million deaths occur every year due to air pollution – according to a Greenpeace report – only "a fraction less" than the number of deaths from tobacco use.

In fact, the report found 3 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was lost as a result of toxic air pollution.

Delhi was found to be India's most polluted city, with concentrations of particulate matter 13 times the annual limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Minister Goyal emphasised the EV scheme would first target "larger consumer centres, where pollution is at an all-time high", including Delhi.

In addition to improving air quality, the move is also intended to lower the costs of importing fuel and lessen the costs of running vehicles.

Speaking to reporters, Minister Goyal said: "We are going to make electric vehicles self-sufficient…The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country.”

The Independent reported that the Minister projected the EV industry will require two to three years of government assistance, after which the production of vehicles will be “driven by demand and not subsidy.”

According to the International Business Times, Minister Goyal said: "The cost of electric vehicles will start to pay for itself for consumers…We would love to see the electric vehicle industry run on its own.”

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