Kamal Ghorui
If there is another war in the Gulf region, it can make oil prices shoot up. India buys a lot of its oil from other countries. So when oil becomes expensive or hard to get, it affects everything — petrol, diesel, transport, and even the prices of goods in shops. That’s why India needs to depend less on imported oil. Earlier, switching to electric vehicles (EVs) was mostly about fighting climate change. Now, it’s also about keeping the country safe from sudden oil shortages.
One big area where change can happen quickly is transport. India wants that by 2030, many vehicles will be electric — like 30% of private cars, 70% of commercial vehicles, 40% of buses, and 80% of two- and three-wheelers. But there’s a problem: not enough money and planning are going into things like public charging stations. A lot of investment has gone into electric three-wheelers and even luxury electric cars, but not enough into buses and big trucks that carry goods across the country.
The government has given subsidies, but the real issue is slow and uneven planning. Heavy trucks and delivery fleets use the most fuel, so electrifying them should be a top priority. However, there are very few powerful charging stations along highways and at transport hubs. If India wants to protect itself from future oil price shocks, it must build more charging stations and focus on electrifying buses and big trucks first. That way, the country will be better prepared if another Gulf war affects oil supplies.
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