First ever electric cars rally held in Mumbai to combat pollution

Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS) In a first initiative of its kind, an all-electric cars rally was held in Mumbai on Saturday as part of the 'Green Mumbai Drive-2021', to reduce pollution in the country's commercial capital, officials said.

The 110-km long rally saw the participation of over 30 electric cars manufactured by various Indian and international companies and was flagged off by Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray, who himself drove an electric car.

Organised by Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd. (AEML), and Autocar India, the rally was intended to create awareness among people about motoring with zero tail-pipe emissions and supported the Maharashtra government's new Electric Vehicles Policy announced in July.

Speaking on the occasion, Thackeray said that in the last few years, there has been a huge development in the field of electric vehicles.

"The state government is taking various measures through the new EV Policy to ensure more citizens use these vehicles with emphasis on reducing pollution," Thackeray urged.

He said there has been a good response for electric vehicles from all the cities and efforts are now underway to increase the number of charging stations.

AEML Managing Director and CEO Kandarp Patel said that nearly 30 per cent of our carbon footprint comes from transportation.

"As Mumbai's electric utility, we aim to lead the way in powering Mumbai's transition to electric mobility with a goal to drastically reduce the carbon emissions," Patel said.

The AEML owns and operates a fleet of 15 EVs and is committed to procuring only EVs for all future requirements wherever feasible, he added.

Autocar Editor & Publisher Hormazd Sorabjee said carbon dioxide is the root cause of global warming and the only way to reduce it is by getting rid of hydrocarbons on which internal combustion engines run.

"EV are becoming popular globally because there are targets to reduce carbon dioxide and the best way is through alternative sources of energy. The goal of Green Mumbai Drive 2021 is to raise awareness about the role EVs can play in reducing CO2 emissions and combating climate change," said Sorabjee.

The unique EV rally started with the vehicles zooming off from Mahalakshmi Racecourse and ended in Vikhroli via the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai's main green lung, turning heads en route.

It saw participation of around 30 EVs, manufactured by Indian and foreign companies including Tata, Tesla, Volvo, Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes, MG, Hyundai and others.