It has been an uphill battle to facilitate pan-Indian adoption for electric vehicles in India. While the millennials have shown relatively more interest in electric vehicles than their Gen-X counterparts, the Government is aiming to leave no stone unturned to achieve complete electric mobility in the country in the future. This has resulted in an increased in investments not only in producing different types of vehicles but also in the provision of modern, consumer-oriented features in them which are equipped with the latest, state-of-the-art technology.
Electric Vehicles In India To Be Equipped With ATS
The provision of features has taken a 2-fold approach, where the registration process of an electric vehicle plays a key role as the initial step and the usage of a new Anti-Theft System (ATS) plays a crucial role in the 2nd step. The inclusion of the ATS is something which we’ll be discussing in this article and see how it plays an important role in safeguarding electric vehicles in India.
The registration process for electric vehicles in India, although straight-forward with the provision of a green number plate to the vehicle, will now include their registration with ATS to digitize the process and maintain a database of vehicles in a given geographical area. Once the vehicles are registered with the ATS, tracking of the vehicle in the unfortunate case of its theft will be significantly easier.
An FIR for a stolen electric vehicle submitted at a nearby police station will be transferred to the Cyber Crime Cell, after which the latter transfers the complaint to a centrally located ATS which works on a real-time basis.
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The central ATS, that will be connected to charging grids across the country, will be able to access any specific area’s grid and charging stations via network service providers. As a result, as soon as the vehicle is switched ‘on’, the battery management system in the vehicle will flag off the vehicle’s real-time location using its digital registration identity and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Additionally, the vehicle will be prohibited from accessing charging stations, grids, apps as well as payment interfaces.
If the vehicle is getting stolen, the process of retrieving doesn’t work unless there is a seamless connectivity between all applications. So, regardless of who creates the application, be it Government bodies or private players, there needs to be a binding regulatory force for the same which is the User ID of the particular vehicle. Be it via using a Google API, or using an online payment portal, or navigating to a nearby EV charger, etc. And this User ID must be the vehicle registration number of the vehicle since 2 vehicles can’t have the same registration number.
Secondly, there must be a pan-Indian dashboard which regulates the registration process of new EVs and this data must be shared with the Central Government. The data maintained must be maintained monthly as well as quarterly in order to maintain a real-time projection analysis.
Thirdly, even banks are aggressive in securing these vehicles. Banks are keen to fund EV projects and they have a basic mandate, which is basically securing a collateral. So, this serves as a reassurance system to the banks and they can monitor the situation of the vehicle in question, thereby ensuring via this control that they continue to fund the upcoming EV projects and more electric vehicles in India can be brought about with ease.
The ATS technology will be prototyped under the NHforEV2020 project for electric vehicles in India, as the initiative to bring about sustained in mass e-mobility has also been analyzed from a post-buy and security assurance point of view. Installation of the ATS will come at no extra cost for electric vehicles, which again comes as good news as most traditional fuel-powered / ICE-powered vehicles in India are not equipped with a real-time ATS.
The implementation of ATS in the 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler segments as well as in the commercial sector can additionally result in a notable positive impact on the livelihoods and consequently on related logistics sectors.
Mohit Baid, Director of Vaishnavi Logistics Solutions Private Limited, thinks that an integrated ATS in an electric heavy vehicle operating the logistics sector has a higher probability of providing security to the shipment. Vaishnavi Logistics is primarily engaged in long-haul and trailer services for the shipment of goods across India.
“Presently we need to install third-party GPS tracking devices in our trucks to not track the journey but also for whatever security they can provide to the consignment. The knowledge of the device being present onboard, to some extent, acts as a dissuading factor for car-jackers. However, there is always the chance that the driver or car-jacker will simply remove the device and throw it away. But if the system is integrated into the electronics of the vehicle itself, there is a better probability that the vehicle will make the journey safely”, says Mohit Baid.
Inevitably, ATS will also help to eliminate human error and negligence in terms of vehicular thefts and the ensuing investigations for the same, as the entire segment will be digitally operated in real-time. The only human intervention which might be required will be in terms of filing an FIR, after which the entire process of finding a stolen EV becomes digital.
The ordeal of the Indian public and their apprehension to switch to electric vehicles stems from concerns with range anxiety (you can read about the efforts being made to eliminate it, HERE), cost of charging, and a convenient, cost-effective post-buy experience. However, with the current Government’s ambitions supported by the private sector’s rich R&D is surely looking to make the transition seem more realistic, day by day.
