Electric Mobility
The electric vehicle (EV) movement is gaining momentum, the latest premium manufacturer to join it being BMW with the launch of the iX. All the India-bound iX cars were sold out on the day of the launch itself. BMW have promised two more EVs by the middle of this year. Moreover, the Mini brand will be all-electric in the future.
The high price of fuel seems to be fuelling the sales of EVs. Nevertheless, barring those from Tata, Mahindra, Hyundai, and MG, all the other EVs are beyond the reach of most Indians. Thank God electric cars are not easy to manufacture; otherwise, it would have resembled the two-wheeler scenario wherein we would have been bombarded with cheap Chinese imports that have flooded the electric two-wheeler market.
It seems that most of us have got used to paying more than Rs 100 for a litre of petrol and diesel, for nobody seems to be complaining about the cost of fuel even after reduction in the international price of crude oil.
The facility of FASTag was supposed to ease the flow of traffic through toll booths. However, more than two-kilometre-long queues were experienced at toll booths on the highways during the recent Christmas and New Year holiday, thus costing time and money because hundreds of litres of fuel was burnt just to pass through a toll booth.
The road safety programme, Be the Better Guy, has been kick-started once again by Hyundai. It is a good initiative to educate people about traffic rules, proper behaviour on the road, and the imperative to be considerate towards other road-users.
Things were starting to look up, but now we are facing the dread of a third wave with the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. Although it seems to be spreading fast, it has not caused serious illness.
To end on a brighter note, I would like to wish all our readers and manufacturers a happy and healthy New Year. Take care. Do not drink and drive and be safe.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
