Is the power behind green mobility truly green?
As the city embraces electric mobility, public infrastructure agencies like
MahaMetro
and the
Nagpur Municipal Corporation
(NMC) are taking steps to support a cleaner, greener future. However, environmental experts urge that the focus should not only be on
electric vehicles
(EVs) but also on the source of the electricity used to charge them.
Even though the authorities boast that EVs will be more eco-friendly, there are concerns among experts that it alone is not sufficient, as the charging stations are powered through '
grey energy
'.
Currently, Nagpur has over 75,000 EVs, including cars, two-wheelers, and e-rickshaws, but there are only 118 EV charging stations, including many private ones. Most users charge vehicles at their homes. Out of the total EV charging stations, only a few are solar-powered.
Environmental advocate Kaustav Chatterjee welcomes these developments but calls for a systems-level shift. "If the charging stations are not solar-powered, we're merely shifting tailpipe pollution to thermal power plants," he said. "EVs are a step in the right direction, but to truly call it
green mobility
, the charging energy must also be green; it should not be grey energy."
Chatterjee emphasizes that the larger picture must include not just EV adoption but also the decarbonisation of the electricity that powers them. "We're reducing petrol use, yes, but if we burn more coal for electricity, we're still harming the environment."
NMC has installed just one public EV charging station, at Suresh Bhat Auditorium for the public, though it runs 230 e-buses for citizens and will also start the process to add 640 new e-buses to its fleet in the coming years.
The Nagpur Smart City and NMC network currently operates five EV charging station depots for their buses, none of which are solar-powered. However, officials said that solar integration is in process at the Hingna Naka depot.
According to data shared by MahaMetro, the city currently has 73 commissioned EV charging stations under its network, all installed in partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL). Of the 26 metro stations planned with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, 21 already have operational solar installations. More than 65 per cent of the total energy consumed at these stations is sourced from solar, which includes everything from lights to fans. While individual charging points aren't metered separately, officials believe a similar ratio applies to EV charging usage as well.
"We are working towards equipping all metro stations — with or without EV chargers — with rooftop solar PV systems to meet maximum energy requirements through green energy," a MahaMetro official said, indicating a forward-thinking and inclusive approach.
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