Electric cars pollute more than BS-IV vehicles: Mercedes-Benz India Head

German automaker Mercedes Benz is not convinced about the India’s plans to switch to electric vehicles. Roland Foger, chief of Mercedes Benz India has raised questions about the government’s plan to switch entirely to electric vehicles by 2030, according to a report in The Times of India. Folger said that electric vehicles in total cause more pollution than the Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) emission standards vehicles. According to Folger, nearly 65 percent of India’s electricity is produced using non-renewable sources such as gas, oil, and coal, which is used to charge electric cars. Speaking to the newspaper, Folger questioned the government’s plans, “How can it make sense? I think there will be an equal distribution of around 30 percent for petrol, diesel and electric. That would make a lot of sense.”

He further added that prices of diesel are likely to drop once the demand reduces and India currently cannot afford to invest too much into renewable energy. “The investments into a nuclear power plant, or into greener technologies like wind, hydro and solar, can only be re covered by charging more for the electricity… electricity price could easily become more expensive than the equivalent in diesel. So, what are people going to buy?” he said. Mercedes recently announced that it will drop the B-Class Electric Drive, which was developed under the Mercedes-Benz BluZERO project. The company said that it will continue to sell the diesel-powered variants of the compact car.

Source:MoneyControl