PhD Research Work

I am working on transportation decarbonization, I am trying to develop Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure as per the Indian market conditions, with real-time EV charging monitoring.

I am also working on Energy and Climate policy modeling using MESSAGE_ix which is an energy optimization tool to access the effect of transportation decarbonization on India's energy security

My aims are

  1. To develop EV Charing Infrastructure, EV Charging solutions for Indian market conditions in a smart grid environment.

  2. To develop business models based on PPP approach for the creation of large-scale EV charging infrastructure with respective business risk evaluation.

Good modeling forms a bedrock for effective & efficient policymaking, contributing immensely towards integrated energy planning and policy analysis. Significant changes have taken place in India's energy policy landscape, particularly in the domain of RE and Hydrogen in the last few years.

My aim is

  1. To perform an integrated assessment of Transportation decarbonization (EV +RE+ Green Hydrogen) on India’s energy security & emission portfolio as per our COP commitments.

I am working on Energy and Climate policy modeling using MESSAGE_ix using domestic data to generate different energy security scenarios with consideration of India's future energy needs and climate commitments with respect to Transportation Elecrifiation, Hydrogen adoption and RE penetration, to access how transportation decarbonization can help our nation to achieve its emission targets.


Till date I have performed two studies, their details are given below (the preprints are not public yet)


Study 1

The current structure of the EV adoption and sustainability of electric mobility would significantly rely on the deployment of public charging infrastructure that provide a seamless driving service to the vehicle’s owners and would justify long-term economics of EV market in India.

Using case study-based approach we have proposed a two-stage model to develop EV charging infrastructure, and highlighted the alternate business ownership model. The first stage determines the number of chargers and energy required at the charging stations based on the highway traffic patterns. In the second stage, a financial model is developed to evaluate financial viability and EV charging tariff under alternate sub-models. The study is performed over two highways: the Delhi-Jaipur highway (multiple access points) and the Yamuna expressway (access-controlled).

We assume that charging stations will come up at major halt points on the highway where public utilities, food, and shopping facilities would be available. We have identified such key locations and simulated charging events for the traffic flow in both directions. We have considered eight generic EV models (proxy of EVs available in the market) which are differentiated on the basis of battery capacity, charger rating, range, and charging time.

We have considered a vehicular mix that gradually provides for vehicles with higher range across four scenarios for EVs penetration based on their proportion sales of passenger cars. (Scenario 1: 10% EV in 2030, Scenario 2: 30% EV in 2030, Scenario 3: 60% EV in 2030, Scenario 4: 100% EV in 2030)

The overall methodological approach includes a multi-step analysis accounting the annual EV sales projection based on inventory build-up, considering vehicle retirement, net vehicle stock for EV is determined; this gets further segregated into different models based on the expected model adoption. Annual vehicle traffic projection along each highway is then translated into an hourly EV traffic pattern. Demand for EV charging at each of charging station is estimated on the bases of hourly vehicular traffic patterns, vehicle’s battery capacity and state of charge (SoC) of onboard batteries while entering the highway.


Outcomes

  1. We have identified the key location for placement of EV charging stations (with the required charging port type and numbers of port)

  2. Estimated the no. of charging events, energy demand and capacity utilization for these charging stations.

  3. Estimated the regulated levelised EV charging tariff, based on cost-of-service regulation for all the charging stations (state wise regulation).

  4. The financial viability of the business model has been assessed based on the Net Present Value (NPV) of the charging infrastructure. We have also estimated the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) required to create the infrastructure with alternate business ownership for Public-Private Partnership.



Study 2

We have performed another study in which we have estimated the impact of e-Mobility on India’s energy security and carbon footprint under four scenarios for EVs penetration based on their proportion sales of passenger cars (as mentioned above), with reference to its climate commitment at COP26.

Outcomes

  1. Energy Security is measured in terms of reduction in crude oil import and balance of payment.

  2. Carbon footprint is measured using well to wheel approach, with consideration of the expected energy mix of electricity supply as per 19th Electric Power Survey report and RE targets announced in COP26.

  3. We have also estimated the impact of e-Mobility on tax revenue with reference to the existing taxes levied on petrol and diesel, which would impact the budgetary allocation and may necessitate compensatory measures over time.