Indian voters are battling sweltering conditions to take part in the world’s biggest election as a severe heat wave hits parts of the country and authorities forecast a hotter-than-normal summer for the South Asian nation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a heat wave will affect parts of south and east India until the end of the week, including four states that are voting on Friday.
Parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are among 13 states and union territories voting in the second phase of India’s mammoth elections, with temperatures forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
On Thursday, Baripada in the eastern state of Odisha hit 43.6 C (110.4 F) and Telangana’s Khammam in the south reached 43.4 C (110.1 F), according to the IMD, which warned last month that India would likely see stronger and longer heat waves this year due to above-normal temperatures.
I can answer that as an Indian casually in the market for an EV. The infrastructure isn’t really as good as western countries. Charging stations aren’t easy to find outside of major highways, and they aren’t as visible.
For intra-city users:
EVs are considerably more expensive than ICEs and India is a very price-sensitive market. The biggest successes for EVs here are Tata Nexons, for example. The ICE version starts at almost half the price of the EV.
Buyers will compare and run the numbers and unless you use it a lot, it can go either way. That combined with the iffy infrastructure is enough to make many people just go for ICE right now, in the hope that their next car will be an EV, when prices come down and tech is next-gen.
It is bound to happen. Prices are falling and more EVs are on the road, but it hasn’t reached critical mass yet.
Also, BYDs are actually quite expensive here compared to home grown solutions. Check the Tata EV range out.
Another factor that you’re overlooking is that India has a huge market of 2 wheelers, 3 wheelers and mini trucks. That’s a space where EVs make a lot of sense. They pay for themselves the more you use them.
So in food delivery, logistics, courier services etc., there’s already a very noticeable shift in motion, and that’s promising.