Electric Vehicles transforming Comprehensive Urban Mobility for a city

A famous City planner and Urban Visionary, Jan Gehl in his book “Cities for People” has emphasised on “you get what you invite” with respect to planning for the cities. He puts focus on planning to invite people to walk more and use bicycle infrastructure and thus, bring more life to the city. The integrated development of transport systems for smooth and seamless movement of men and material is inherent to the development of cities. The planning for the transport system becomes crucial as it decides what we are inviting to the city, whether the approach is towards liveability or accessibility and if there can be a planned harmony between both. Mobility can be broadly defined as the ability to move from one place to another and accessibility on the other hand can be defined as the ease with which a person can access a particular service. Both are the critical factors for the economic growth of urban areas. 

The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) 2006 has majorly focused on three insightful objectives. First, all plans should be for people’s common benefit and wellbeing which should be a key objective in the city’s planning. Second, the cities should be most liveable and become the engines of economic growth. Lastly, the cities should be allowed to evolve according to their unique characteristics. While these values form the core of urban planning, certain urban issues such as the rapid urbanisation and associated greenhouse gas emissions are concerning. With respect to planning, Indian cities are seeking value in adoption of alternate fuels for road vehicles to mitigate emissions under transportation sector.

With transportation sector accounting for 18% of the total energy consumption, India has formulated various policies to shift from utilisation of conventional fuels, diesel and petrol in road vehicles to more efficient electrical energy. According to Bureau of Energy Efficiency, electric mobility presents a viable alternative when supported with appropriate technology, support infrastructure and innovating pricing solutions. With the launch of National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 in year 2013, the government of India aimed to achieve national fuel security by incentivizing the usage of hybrid and electric vehicles. While there have been significant strides in facilitating the adoption of electric vehicles through intervention by the central and state governments, it is necessary to adopt citizen centric mass transport systems like electric buses and shuttles and shared mobility solutions for particular passenger segment reaching last mile like electric E-rickshaws etc. 

In 2023, the central government launched PM E-BUS Sewa Scheme with the objectives to strengthen public urban transport infrastructure redefining urban mobility. In the context of Indian Urban Mobility Plans, the inclusion of electric mobility in comprehensive urban mobility plans is restricted to the Intra and Intercity electric Bus systems. EV charging infrastructure is given due importance in certain policies from state and central government but the inclusion of EVs and associated infrastructure is still missing in city planning.

Comprehensive Mobility Plan of Bareilly 2023, discusses in detail about the electric bus transport service and its associate development phases. The sustainable urban transport (SUT) with technology intervention in the CMP of Bareilly also, builds a realistic and optimistic scenario for private vehicle shift from conventional fuels to electric by 2041. These interventions are a good start in integrating electric mobility transition into planning for a city’s mobility, but there is scope for a lot more. The provision for public charging infrastructure and its positioning according to the land usage of the cities could be one of the measures to integrate the mobility plan with electric mobility. Along with propositions for charging infrastructure, its resilience in the city could also be ensured through Battery as a service (BaaS) component with due infrastructure considerations for battery swapping stations and policy recommendations to incentivise the same.

A comprehensive mobility plan includes various studies on the travel characteristics of the city including the demography, travel demand forecasts etc. which are used in planning for land use and transport integration. It also lays out strategies for improved road network, public transport proposals etc. These plans can also integrate the right electric mobility transition strategy for the city. For instance, a comprehensive urban mobility plan requires various origin and destination surveys to understand the modal split and travel distribution pattern in a city, which can also be integrated with analysing the demand and supply pattern for electric vehicles within the city. The inclusion of electric mobility options into the passenger segment of the city from last mile connectivity options such as E-Rickshaws, Electric Auto Rickshaws etc. to Mass Rapid Transit Systems and private electric vehicles can be planned. This can assist in achieving comprehensive plans with integrated electric mobility accommodating the travel characteristics of the city.

Electric vehicles, are essential for the coming age transformation of urban mobility, offering an efficient alternative in sustainable transportation systems. The alignment of the government initiatives for E-mobility and the comprehensive mobility plans catering to the city characteristics is an essential step for the development of urban areas. The cities can thus address urban transportation issues in a holistic manner to promote liveability with citizens being at the centre of planning.

About Harshita Kaur: Harshita Kaur is an Architect and Urban Planner, currently working as a Research Associate with Transport and urban Governance Division, TERI. Her work majorly focuses on sustainable urban development. She has significant work experience in both research and consultancy roles, contributing to various urban planning and governance projects. In TERI, she is actively involved in transformative and participatory climate action projects. She has also worked on government led projects namely district environment management plans, and zonal development plans for Indian cities.