Research

Engineering Sciences

Title :

Impact and suitability of Electric vehicles to Indian roads

Area of research :

Engineering Sciences

Principal Investigator :

Dr. Anuj Kishor Budhkar, Indian Institute Of Engineering Science And Technology, West Bengal

Timeline Start Year :

2023

Timeline End Year :

2026

Contact info :

Equipments :

Details

Executive Summary :

With a rising number of electric vehicles (EVs) on Indian roads, there is a need for a systematic study of their maneuvering, their effect on the existing traffic, and their effect on the overall transportation network including the emission levels. This project deals with the effect of EVs on traffic performance considering the impact of their rising proportion on overall traffic speed, the delay faced due to their maneuverability, and the resulting impact on road safety. For this purpose, firstly, the performance of four categories of EVs- e-rickshaw, e-car, e-scooter and e-bus need to be studied by high-end equipment. Subsequently, various instrumented EVs need to be driven in roads covering an entire spectrum of traffic densities and purposes, to ascertain the safety effects on the overall stream. To study the effect on stream speed and network delay, a well-calibrated simulation model needs to be developed. Proportion of EV to conventional vehicles (CV) can be varied and the consequences on the stream speed and delay can be studied. The significance of this project is that it will help the authorities to decide if EV sales need to be incentivised or regulated after their growth reaches a certain proportion. Although EVs may be dearer to the environment considering their zero emission, the negative externalities on the traffic in terms of reduced speed, rising delay may cause a higher carbon footprint, if any. This project will study the same, and be a ready reckoner for future traffic management and planning strategies involving a large number of EVs.

Co-PI:

Prof. Akhilesh Kumar Maurya, Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Assam-781039

Total Budget (INR):

48,85,497

Organizations involved