NITI Aayog held a day-long forum to celebrate the first anniversary of Shoonya, India’s zero pollution e-mobility campaign.

Shoonya is a consumer awareness campaign to reduce air pollution by promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs) for ride-hailing and deliveries. The campaign has 130 industry partners, including ride-hailing, delivery and EV companies.

Significance of Shoonya campaign

• Rapid global urbanisation and e-commerce sales are driving significant growth in urban freight and mobility demand. In India, these sectors are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8 per cent through 2030.

• If this demand is met by internal combustion vehicles (ICE), it would significantly increase local air pollution, carbon emissions, and lead to adverse public health effects. 

• Urban freight vehicles account for 10 per cent of freight transportation-related CO2 emissions in India, and these emissions are expected to grow by 114 per cent by 2030. 

• Electric Vehicles (EVs) offer an opportunity to address these challenges. Compared to ICE vehicles, EVs do not emit particulate matter (PM) or NOx emissions at the tailpipe. They release 60 per cent less CO2 and have 75 per cent lower operating costs. 

• Shoonya supplements existing national and sub-national EV policies as well as corporate efforts in India by creating consumer awareness and demand for zero pollution rides and deliveries in Indian cities.

• Till April 2022, the estimated number of electric deliveries and rides completed by corporate partners via the Shoonya campaign was close to 20 million and 15 million, respectively. This translates to a carbon dioxide emission savings of over 13,000 tonnes.

• If all last-mile deliveries and rides in India were ‘Shoonya’, India would be well on its way to improving air quality, reducing public health costs, enhancing energy security, and achieving its climate targets. 

• The electrification of the ride-hailing and delivery sector in India could mitigate close to 54 MT of CO2 emissions, 16,800 tonnes of PM emissions, and 537,000 tonnes of NOx pollution, saving roughly 5.7 lakh crore in expenditures over a year. 

• Thus, Shoonya can lead to dramatic emission reductions in the transport sector, supporting India’s five-point agenda, announced at COP26, to reduce carbon emissions and secure its 2070 climate goals.

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