May 11, 2023: Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari is in discussions with industry players on developing economically viable electric highways in the country. He highlighted the need to develop and import substitute cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous technology, emphasising that sustainable development is the ultimate goal.
An electric highway is a road that supplies electric power to travelling vehicles through overhead power lines or power lines set into pre-cut grooves on the road. Recently, Gadkari said that the government is working on building electric highways powered by solar energy to enable the charging of heavy-duty buses and trucks.
Gadkari also highlighted the need to reform urban laws, considering the way cities are developing. He emphasised that big corporates must come forward and build sustainable business models. There is a need to convince people that making hydrogen from water, ethanol, etc., is possible, and our talent and knowledge pool can be leveraged for this, he added.
The union minister said that adopting a circular economy can significantly lower manufacturing costs and reduce imports. He further added that recycling metals such as copper, aluminium etc., can reduce the auto component manufacturing costs by 20-25%.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |
