British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata and The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a Session on "Strategies for accelerating Urban Electric Mobility - Exclusive Discussion on Innovative Policies, Technologies and Applications" on 7th February 2020, at The Bengal Chamber of commerce and Industry.

The key objectives of the session were:
▪  Understanding key priorities of West Bengal and discussing initiatives to accelerate scaling-up of Electric Mobility
▪  Knowledge exchange: Sharing best practices & key learnings between UK and India on electric mobility
▪  Scoping for future partnerships on Electric Mobility

The Session focused on:
▪  Strategies for electrification of transportation system
▪  Challenges & best practices of adoption of electric mobility

Ms. Jennifer Fagan, First Secretary, Department for International Trade, British High Commission, New Delhi delivered the formal Welcome Address. Mr. Gautam Ray, Chairperson, Energy & Environment Committee, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Executive Director (HR & Admin.), CESC Limited made the Theme Address on E-Mobility focusing on Charging Facilities. The Inaugural session was graced by Shi N S Nigam, IAS, Secretary, Department of Transport, Government of West Bengal, Shri Debashis Sen, Chairman, Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, Dr A N Biswas IAS, Commissioner, Department of Power, Government of West Bengal, Mr Nick Low, British Deputy High Commissioner, Kolkata and Mr Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra. The Inaugural Session was moderated by Mr Deb A Mukherjee, President Designate, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Shri Debashis Sen, Chairman, Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal mentioned that three new interconnecting electric buses were now available which will move in circle around the city/township. As per the requirement of the residents the routes of these buses would be decided. To draw more people, the buses would have AC. To make it affordable the fares are kept very low. Therefore to maintain the cost, the electric buses are run by only one person i.e the driver. The automatic ticketing module has been set up beside the driver which runs on battery. Since the operation of these electric buses from May 2018, 2.5 lakhs commuters have availed the bus. New routes have been mapped in connection to East West Metro.

Shri N S Nigam, IAS, Secretary, Department of Transport, Government of West Bengal emphasized that Calcutta was the first city in the country to introduce Electric Mobility in terms of trams. It was also the first city to promote mass transportation with the introduction of first metro corridor - North South Metro in late 80's and early 90's. Hence Kolkata not only introduced electricity in the country but also used it for mobility purpose. Presently 15 million people make passengers trip everyday in the city. The two main challenges faced by the government are road space and retain the share in public transportation. The electrification of mobility is majorly taken up by Metro. With the operation of all the Metro corridors in coming 5-10 years almost 4.5 million people would avail electric transportation. This would address two key issues, less use of fossil fuel and secondly, lack of space in the city. Introduction of 700 low floor buses was also a major reform in urban transport system. Already 80 electric government buses are running independently. The Government is planning to introduce 50 more new electric buses to connect New town with other parts of the city on a new model from Capex to Opex. Although there are many challenges to expand electric mobility but the government feels Kolkata has overcome all the teddy issues and has geared up to take up electrical transportation to next level in a wholesome manner.

The session on Strategies for Electrification of Transportation System was chaired by Dr A N Biswas IAS, Commissioner, Department of Power, Government of West Bengal. Dr. Shashank Vyaas, Associate Fellow - Electricity and Fuels Division, TERI addressed on Grid integration aspects of electric mobility; Mr Hemang Shah, India Head of EO Charging UK spoke on Enabling environment for Deployment of Innovative EV charging Technologies; Mr Suddhasatta Kundu, India Smart Grid Forum gave his presentation on Strategies & Criteria for Charging Infrastructure Development; Mr Ankit Kumar, Founder, Go Zero Bike, Birmingham spoke on Creating Consumer Driven Mobility: Shared, Electric & Connected and Mr. Shyamasis Das, Principal Research Associate & Lead-Power Utility & Electric Mobility, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy addressed on EV Tariff - A Key Factor To Watch Out For. The Interactive session was moderated by Ms. Rakhi Basu, World Bank.

The next session on Challenges & Best Practices of Adoption of Electric Mobility was chaired and moderated by Mr Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra. Mr Corin Wilson, First Secretary, Advancing Engineering, Department for International Trade-India, British Deputy High Commission, Bengaluru addressed on Best practices from UK electric mobility ecosystem; Mr Naveen Krishna, Founder & MD, SMV Green Solutions Pvt Ltd spoke on Ecosystem for Enhancing Last Mile Connectivity and Livelihoods of Women through e-wheelers; Mr Sanjoy Chatterjee, Director & CTO, Ideation Technology gave his presentation on Innovative Applications in Future Mobility; Mr Sourav Banerjee, Sr. GMOEM, Exide Industries Limited addressed on Innovation in Batteries for Faster Adoption of Electric Mobility and Mr Jon Price, Directorate of Research & Business Engagement, The University of Manchester, UK addressed on Future Mobility - The Opportunity for R&D Collaboration at Scale.

The sessions were followed by vibrant interactions. The session was attended by the major stakeholders of the region.