NITI Aayog celebrates first anniversary of Shoonya Campaign
NITI Aayog held a day-long forum today to
commemorate the first anniversary of Shoonya, India’s zero pollution e-mobility
campaign.
Shoonya
is a consumer awareness campaign to reduce air pollution by promoting the use
of electric vehicles (EVs) for ride-hailing and deliveries. The campaign has
130 industry partners, including ride-hailing, delivery and EV companies.
All the
partners participated in today’s forum and shared their success stories and
commitments toward fleet electrification. G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog
CEO Param Iyer, MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh, Delhi Government Principal Secretary
Ashish Kundra, Mahindra Electric Mobility CEO Suman Mishra, and several others
attended the event.
In his
keynote address, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said, “The success of the Shoonya
campaign is evidence that the green mobility revolution is knocking on our
doors. The future belongs to a shared and connected world through electric
mobility.”
Underscoring
the important role of green mobility in achieving India’s decarbonization
goals, NITI Aayog CEO Param Iyer said, “The Shoonya campaign has the potential
to galvanize participation from all sectors towards the goal of green mobility.”
Today’s
forum provided opportunities for partners to share knowledge and learnings and
initiate collaborative engagements. During the focused discussions, corporates
shared their challenges in scaling EVs and solicited feedback on driving impact
through the campaign.
The National
Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Energy Storage (Part III) report
was also launched during the event. The report highlights that India’s
$2.5-billion Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry
Cell (ACC) energy storage is critical for meeting the projected cumulative
battery demand of 106–260 GWh by 2030 to successfully realize the country’s
vision for EV adoption and grid decarbonisation. Read the report here.
To discuss the role of Shoonya towards Communicating for Impact,
Group 1 deliberated on the nuances of driving behaviour change through consumer
engagement and collaboration.
Group 2 came together to share their expertise on the topic - Mobilising
EV Financing and how Shoonya can spearhead EV adoption in the country.
Group 3, led the discussions on: Identifying gaps in the policy
ecosystem and role of Shoonya in advancing EV solutions in the country
About Shoonya:
Rapid
global urbanization and e-commerce sales are driving significant growth in
urban freight and mobility demand. In India, these sectors are expected to grow
at a CAGR of 8% through 2030. If this demand is met by internal combustion
vehicles (ICE), it would significantly increase local air pollution, carbon
emissions, and lead to adverse public health effects. EVs offer an opportunity
to address these challenges. Compared to ICE vehicles, EVs do not emit PM or
NOx emissions at the tailpipe; they release 60% less CO2 and have 75% lower
operating costs. Shoonya supplements existing national and sub-national EV
policies as well as corporate efforts in India by creating consumer awareness
and demand for zero pollution rides and deliveries in Indian cities.
Till
April 2022, the estimated number of electric deliveries and rides completed by
corporate partners via the Shoonya campaign was close to 20 million and 15
million, respectively. This translates to a carbon dioxide emission savings of
over 13,000 tonnes.
If all
final-mile deliveries and rides in India were shoonya, India would be well on
its way to improving air quality, reducing public health costs, enhancing
energy security, and achieving its climate targets. The electrification of the
ride-hailing and delivery sector in India could mitigate close to 54 MT of CO2
emissions, 16,800 tonnes of PM emissions, and 537,000 tonnes of NOx pollution,
saving roughly 5.7 lakh crore in expenditures over a year. Thus, Shoonya can
lead to dramatic emission reductions in the transport sector, supporting
India’s five-point agenda (Panchamrit), announced at COP 26, to reduce carbon
emissions and secure its 2070 climate goals.