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Monday, 22 May 2017

Look Before You Leap

Summary of the report :

“ India Leaps Ahead : Transformative Mobility Solutions for All “

( NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute / May 2017 )

TARGET:

· All vehicles on the roads to be powered by electricity, by 2030

STRATEGIES :

· Establishing a manufacturing consortium for batteries, common components, and platform to develop battery cell technologies and packs and to procure common components for Indian Original Equipment Manufacturers ( OEM )

· To create standardized , smart , swappable batteries for two – and three-wheelers to electrify these important vehicle segments as quickly as possible through a pay-per-use business model and an integrated payment, tracking, and smart-charging system

· Make EVs , more profitable for Auto-makers and affordable for consumers

· Setting up a Unified Metropolitan Planning Authority ( UMPA )

· Leasing of Electric Vehicles

· Transferring technologies for commercial production of Lithium –ion batteries

{ read : Need ofthe hour : TEAM / 21 April 2017 }

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/04/need-of-hour-team.html

INCENTIVES :

· Rebates for efficient new vehicles paid for by fees on inefficient ones

· Introduction of zero-emission vehicles ( ZEV ) credits at the State or national level to complement the rebates with another supply side, market-based incentive programme

· Easier registration and preferred electricity tariffs

BENEFITS :

· This would result in a reduction of 156 million tons in diesel and petrol consumption for a year. This would imply a net savings of roughly Rs 3.9 lakh*crore in 2030 ( $ 60 billion )

· Between 2017-2030, reduction of ONE GIGATONNE of CO2 emission ( reduce pollution )

· The Electric Vehicle plan will help create demand for electricity generated by India’s power plants. Of the country’s installed power generation capacity of 329 GW, only about half is operational at any given time due to muted demand

MY TAKE :

· There are undeniable benefits of changing over to Electric Vehicles ( reduction in pollution / imports of diesel-petrol etc )

· But , if these vehicle batteries are going to be charged with electric power generated from coal-based power plants , then those benefits are only illusory !

Pollution just gets concentrated at those coal-based power plants !

· Re-chargeable Li-ion battery costs , some 50 % - 70 % of EV total cost

· What is required is a technology that dramatically reduces the size and the cost of those Li-ion batteries ( down to 10 % of the cost of EV ) , while giving 400 km per charge

If that is achieved , selling price of a EV will be LESS than the price of a petrol / diesel car !

Then it will be possible to bring down the Selling Price of EV to 80 % of petrol car price !

A Rs 10 lakh ( petrol ), car would sell for Rs 8 lakh ( EV ) car !

And the “ Operating Cost / km “ will come down from Rs 10 / km for a petrol car to Rs 4 / km for an Electric car !

There will be NO NEED to :

# Provide any “ Incentive ( rebates ) “ to either the Auto makers or to Consumers !

# Dis-incentivize manufacture of petrol /diesel vehicles ( who will buy ? Competition will ensure that the Auto-makers will switch-over to EV on a double, in order to survive ! )

# Motivate the consumers when they have an option to buy a car which costs less to begin with and costs less to operate ( including far less maintenance cost )

If the country is likely to save $ 60 billion ( Rs 3.9 lakh*crore ) , what is holding back the Government to provide ISRO , a budget of Rs 100 crore , to hurry up with the finalization of its design / development of ,

“ EV : powered by Roof Top Mounted Solar Panels “

within 6 months ?

Then make this “ Commercial Design / Manufacturing Drawings “ available to ANY / ALL , car manufacturers ( existing and prospective ) , FREE OF COST / ROYALTY

If we can manage this , then we will need , very FEW EV CHARGING STATIONS , saving us billions of dollars of infrastructure !

Look up :

http://www.thebetterindia.com/99193/isro-technology-solar-electric-car/

As pollution levels continue to rise in India and across the world, the Indian Space Research Organisation has continued to work on developing different kinds of technology that is sustainable and environment-friendly.

That’s why they have designed a solar hybrid electric car made from completely in-house resources and expertise, which they hope is the answer to many of the country’s air pollution related woes.

In order to power the car, the engine is run on lithium ion batteries developed entirely by ISRO.

It runs on the same technology as the high-energy lithium ion battery that was designed for spacecraft carriers by the organisation.

A source privy to the details on the project spoke to India Today, noting, “We are ready to transfer this technology and make our automobile industry one of the most technology Advanced in the world.

Our prowess In space technology has been shown time and again and with this new innovation, the space organisation is now set to take the country to a new high ! Quite literally.”

The team has already tested the technology during a a test drive at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram.

And they have also worked on developing a solar panel that will be placed on top of the car ( for it to recharge ) and other parts as well including the gearbox, and electronic controls.

Right now, technicians and scientists are working on trying to find ways to cut down the costs of the car to make it more affordable for the Indian automobile market and also accessible for the general public as a whole.

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It is a matter of weeks before the wall-mounted “ Solar Power Storage “ of TESLA ( Powerpack ) comes out with such a “ concentrated / dense “ storage capacity that it becomes capable to re-charge the Li-ion battery of your EV , at night !

That will make every home a PERSONAL CHARGING STATION !

And with ISRO’s roof-top Solar Panel driven EV , nothing can beat this combination !

Dear Shri Gadkariji / Shri Goyalji / Shri Amitabh Kantji :

Please give ISRO , this opportunity to serve the nation – this time not in space , but on the ground !

23 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Sunday, 21 May 2017

Let BHIM get MAD !

Hindustan Times ( 22 May ) carries following news report :

“ Aadhar-linked payments in rural jobs yet to succeed “

Amid the NDA government’s rush to expand the Aadhaar horizon, the unique identity-based payments in rural job scheme is yet to taste success.

The Aadhaar-based system promises transparency, faster disbursement, and an easier verification process.

Ironically, 84% MNREGA workers have Aadhaar cards and the details are available with the rural development ministry.

While 8.58 crore workers have voluntarily given their Aadhaar number to the ministry, only 4.5 crore people are being paid their daily wages through the system.

Government sources claim that the problem is at the level of the banks, which do not have infrastructure to link the Aadhaar numbers in time to the payment system.

NREGA workers had to make sure that their job card details are aligned with their bank account details as well as Aadhar card details

Now , they are asked to go back to the banks with their original identification documents so that Aadhar seeding can be verified

“ What next , BHIM may be ? “ , said noted social scientist Jean Dreze

Dreze alleges that constant redesign of WAGE PAYMENT PROCESS has affected the daily wage labourers

“ MNREGA workers have been tortured for years on end by the constant redesign of wage payment systems . Many of them had to go through three or four rounds of opening of accounts ; first with the Post Office , then with a Bank , then with a specific bank , then with a Business Correspondent

Each step is an ordeal that can last for weeks and hold up their wages

When bank payments were finally settling down, another round of redesign began with the drive towards Aadhar based payments . “ he said

I suppose NDA government cannot help changing over to Aadhar-based payment system for MNREGA workers

BUT LET IT ENSURE THAT THIS IS THE FINAL CHANGE

And let it seize this opportunity to implement Shri Narendra Modiji’s vision :

" If China is like a manufacturing factory of the World , India should

become the human resource capital of the World .

That should be our target and we should lay emphasis on that .

We should have a futuristic vision and prepare plans for the next ten years "

( From a speech delivered on 15 July 2015 )

By implementing :

“ From BAD to MAD “ ( 01 June 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/06/from-bad-to-mad.html }

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22 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Saturday, 20 May 2017

NPAs in the making ?

During past few days , media is full of reports about the Central Government’s “ Bold Decision “ to set up 10 Nuclear Power Plants ( totalling 7,000 MW ), at a cost of Rs 70,000 crores

As reported in Hindustan Times / DNA , following “ arguments “ , make this , a “ bold decision “ :

· To pump in Rs 70,000 cr of Capital Expenditure into the economy at a time when private investment continues to flag

· To revive India’s moribund domestic nuclear industry

· To help India ramp up its renewable base-load power capacity

· The sheer amount of money involved gives India’s domestic nuclear firms, to scale up their designs and potentially break the 1,000 MW barrier

· To leverage the domestic nuclear industry’s ability to manufacture reactor components that were third cheaper than the global norm and make India , a global hub of nuclear reactor technology and manufacturing

On face of it , all of the above make for eminent sense !

Until you ask the following questions :

· How come , no nuclear power plants have come up anywhere in the World for past several decades ?

· Why are old Nuclear Power Plants closing down everywhere ?

· If the power produced with these 10 plants is going to cost the consumers , anywhere between Rs 5 – 7 / kwh , how can it compete with the Solar Power at Rs 2 / kwh ? ( just wait this to happen by May 2018 ! )

· Apparently , it will cost Rs 10 cr / MW for setting up a Nuclear Plant as against Rs 5 cr / MW to set up a Solar power plant . What can justify this ?

· Most likely , it will take TEN YEARS to construct / commission these Nuclear plants as against , ONE YEAR to put up SAME CAPACITY , Solar plants ! ( - which , incidentally , is THE TARGET for 2017-18 )

· If the “ economics “ are so bad , which bank will finance these plants ? – knowing fully well that these Rs 70,000 cr will become NPA , even before the plants go on stream !

Bankers are already losing sleep over that the Rs 5 lakh*crore that they have advanced to some 60 + Coal based power plants which are “ under construction “ ( meaning , “ stuck “ ! ) and not likely to ever get completed / commissioned , because no DISCOM is ready to buy their “ expensive “ power at Rs 4 / kwh !

· What about the “ Safety concerns / fears “ of citizens residing near these proposed Nuclear Plants ? Have we forgotten Kudankulum / Jaitapur ?

In case , you need to confirm that this is not a “ bold “ but a “ bad “ decision , do read :

Industry Meltdown: Is the Era of Nuclear Power Coming to an End?

http://e360.yale.edu/features/industry-meltdown-is-era-of-nuclear-power-coming-to-an-end

http://tonyseba.com/?s=nuclear+plants

Dear Shri Piyush Goyalji ,

I urge you to take a second look at this decision

21 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Inching Forward ?

Business Line ( 18 May ) , carries following news report :

“ Aadhar authority to bring new layer of authentication “

Extract :

Voice biometrics identifies each individual through their unique voiceprint, which eliminates the need to remember and type passwords and PINs

Jason Sterling, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Nuance Asia Pacific , said :

“ Voice based authentication doesn’t require any hardware for the consumer . He can use any feature phone to call in and authenticate himself

India is one of the fastest growing market for us .

In a country where millions of people are still illiterate , voice will play a big role “

I have no doubt , this small step forward , will ultimately enable those “ illiterate millions “ to carry out ( purchase / sale ) transactions as outlined below in my several blogs / emails :

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* Buyer buys something worth Rs 100 from a shopkeeper

* Buyer and the Seller , look into their own mobile-cameras ( of smart phones

loaded with M-Rup ) for biometric Aadhar identification / linked to Jan Dhan a/c

* Seller speaks in his mobile : " Muze Sau Rupiah dedo "

* Buyer speaks in his mobile : " Inko Sau Rupiah dedo "

* Message flashes in the mobile screen of Seller :

" Tumhare account-me Sau Rupiah

Jamah ho gaya / GST bhi kaat ke Sarkar-ko bhej diya "

* Message flashes in the mobile screen of Buyer :

" Tumhare account-se , Sau Rupiah inko

Bhej Diya . Abhi balance me teen sau sath rupiah bacha hai "