A Detailed Report about the Electric Vehicle

The price of petrol and diesel went to the three digits, a move that is indicative of both a resurgent India and of fossil fuels becoming increasingly dear to the wallet. Since the internal combustion engine replaced the horse-drawn cart in the early 1800s it has reigned supreme becoming directly responsible for the economic miracles of the last 200 years. If it weren’t for the ICE we wouldn’t be enjoying the luxuries that we today take for granted, the irony is not lost when the very technology that has been instrumental in the advance of our civilization is the very thing that is slowly choking the lifeline of the planet.

The electric vehicle revolution has started to slowly move the needle back to a carbon-neutral world. A report by Bloomberg new energy finance shows that even though EVs only account for 24% ( 10 million ) of all vehicles on the road, a number that will increase to 58% by 2040. The reasons behind this increased pace of EV adoption can be attributed to the following reasons,

• Better and cheaper battery technology. We can now travel farther by paying less, and the size of the lithium-ion battery that makes this possible has been reduced as well, further reducing the space constraints and overall price of the vehicle.
• Increase in fuel charges. Fuel charges are going up around the world, with prices only set to increase as oil wells stop exploiting resources as it becomes financially unviable to extract oil at the present market prices.
• Fuel emission standards make ICE vehicles expensive. The Bharat Stage 4 fuel emissions standards have increased the prices of vehicles making electric vehicles achieve price parity with their ICE cousins, in the process making EVs an attractive product.
• Due to these cascading factors, the EV industry has seen the birth of new players in the market. Some of them are marquee brands waking up to the potential of EVs while others are start-ups that are riding the coat-tails of the EV revolution. This has led to an increase in the number of products available to the consumer

The Indian electric vehicle market will be worth US$ 206 billion by 2030 and behind this massive valuation is the Government’s impetus that has offered a slew of subsidies that have made EVs a viable option for the ever price conservative Indian public. Niti Aayog, the federal think tank, published a report titled “India’s Electric Mobility Transformation”, which pegs EV sales penetration in India at 70 percent for commercial cars, 30 percent for private cars, 40 percent for buses, and 80 percent for two- and three-wheelers by 2030. These targets, if achieved, could lead to a net reduction of 14 exajoules of energy and 846 million tons of CO2 emissions over the deployed vehicles’ lifetime. Electric vehicles sold until 2030 can cumulatively save 474 million tons of oil equivalent over their lifetime, worth US$207.33 billion.

In the financial year 2021, India has already sold 1.18 lakh EVs, which accounts for 90% of the total sales last FY. One of the reasons behind this increase in sales has to be the Fast Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles scheme, under the first phase of which the Government of India has provided subsidies for the purchase of USD 130 million worth of EVs. In the second phase of FAME, the subsidy amount was upgraded to USD 1.4 billion leading to a massive explosion in the sale of EVs over any of the preceding years, with 1.5 lakh EVs sold in India during FY 20. The lion’s share of India’s EV market is dominated by e-two wheelers. In 2020, out of the 2.3 lakh EVs that were sold in India, 1.4 lakh of those were electric scooters. The marketplace today is filled with companies like - hero electric, Ather energy, Ampere, Okinawa, Ola electric, and others, with more manufacturers entering the fray every quarter.

The electric vehicle industry is a major job creator with close to 10 million jobs being created in this sector in the next decade. The supply chain of the electric vehicle industry consists of many moving parts creating numerous entry points for engineers who want to start their career in Electric Vehicles.

Engineers in the field of electrical and chemical engineering can consider careers in battery systems. Engineers in this field will be primarily involved in the development and testing of battery technologies, engineers who wish to start a career in this domain should have extensive domain expertise in Lithium-ion cell technology, battery-pack modelling, and thermal management.

Mechanical engineers who want to start a career in the EV industry can look towards powertrain systems and their designs. Engineers will be tasked with the design and development of the electric powertrain, and a complete understanding of different powertrains like - series and parallel, along with drive train architecture is a prerequisite for any engineer wanting to pursue a career in this domain.

Mechanical engineers can also start a career in the design of the chassis of an EV. Engineers who want to specialize in this domain will be tasked with the design and development of chassis, enclosures, soft plastic, and hard plastics, and also to develop countermeasures for pedestrians and occupants’ safety during crashes. If an engineer should want to start their career in this field, they should have domain knowledge about manufacturing methods, NVH principles, CAE analysis, crash analysis, and meshing.

Computer science and electrical engineers can start their career in the EV domain by either becoming a BMS hardware and software engineer or by pursuing a career in the field of autonomous driving software. To start a career in the former domain, the engineer should have a working knowledge about battery sizing, mathematical modelling, and design of battery pack, PCD design. And to start a career in the latter, the engineer should be well-versed in path planning algorithms and prediction modelling for surroundings.

These are only a few of the varied job opportunities that are available for an engineer in the Electric Vehicle industry, to help you navigate the rough waters and gain clarity on the options that are available to you, we have complied this industry report - which is an in-depth look at the various job opportunities that are available in the EV market and how you can start your career in the domain of your choice.

Check out the Job opportunities for your Engineering domain