Move over Elon Musk!
India’s pride ISRO will unleash solar powered, hybrid electric cars in India, which has the potential to totally revolutionise electric car market in India.
These new, hybrid cars would be 100% Make in India, and we may very soon experience these cars on Indian roads.
Highly Efficient Lithium Batteries To Empower Hybrid Cars
ISRO is right now working on a highly sophisticated technology, which is using high energy lithium batteries to power space-crafts.
Soon, this technology will be transferred to automobile companies, so that they can develop solar cars using this technology.
The concept is pretty interesting: high-energy lithium-ion batteries are placed on a solar panel, and this solar panel can be equipped on a spacecraft as well as on a car.
Using solar energy, these lithium-ion batteries can be used to run automobiles, thereby creating hybrid-electric cars.
A source from ISRO said, “We are ready to transfer this technology and make our automobile industry one of the most technology advanced in the world. Our prowess in space technology has been proved time and again, and with this new innovation, the space organisation is now set to take the country to a new high..”
This particular technology has already been tested on a Maruti Omni car while optimising at Vikram Sarabhai space centre ( VSSC) Thiruvananthapuram.
The energy generated via lithium-ion batteries can be used to power the electric cars, as well as provide consistent energy to all electronic systems inside the car as well.
The only challenge, as of now, is the issue of expenses for running the car. ISRO is right now aiming to reduce the cost of lithium-ion batteries to make it affordable for the common man.
State of Electric Cars in India
Govt. of India is pretty serious about electric cars, and they are leaving no stone unturned to make it even more popular and widespread.
Recently, Govt. of India declared that by 2030, only electric cars would be sold in India, and there would be a complete ban on petrol/diesel cars. Earlier, Govt. had informed that by 2020, all commercial cars would be replaced by electric cars.
Permits for some forms of electric vehicles has already been removed; and incentives worth Rs 1.3 lakh has been planned, for every electric car to enable 7 lakh electric vehicles on roads, by 2020.
Leading automobile companies such as Tata and Maruti has already shown a massive interest in launching electric cars (way back in 2013); even as World’s biggest electric car manufacturer, Tesla has announced their launch of cars in India, such as highly anticipated Model 3.
If ISRO too gets into the idea of electric cars in India, then it can be a big, encouraging news.
We will keep you updated as we receive more information.