About the Forum Convening
The regional convening was organised by Vasudha Foundation with support from SED Fund on May 19, 2023, in Pune with an objective to deep dive into the emission reduction of transport sub-sectors (aviation, marine & road) through deep electrification pathways.
The desired outcome of this regional Forum convening was to build the discourse around the challenges, local aspects and prospects prevailing in India’s transport sectors. Especially focusing on innovative approaches to electrifying India’s end-uses.
The main highlights of the Forum convening were:
- Inaugural address: Focused on the urgent need to transition to cleaner transportation systems for climate change and air by addressing the electrification challenges in aviation, maritime, and road transport. Collaboration among stakeholders was emphasised to foster innovation and drive the electrification agenda.
- Aviation sector panel discussion: This session emphasised improving fuel efficiency, aligning with CORSIA norms, ratcheting up Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and improving supply chain management.
- Maritime sector panel discussion: The session underscored the importance of global perspectives, the availability of clean fuels, and the readiness of the maritime sector, as well as the strategic approach needed for transitioning to clean fuels.
- Road (truck) sector panel discussion: This session focused on highlighting inefficiencies in the trucking industry and exploring the role of biofuels, transitional fuels, and the future prospects of the industry.
- Presentation by the Automotive Research Association Of India (ARAI) on their vital role in shaping EV and fuel regulations, researching sustainable fuel options, certifying alternative fuels and EVs, providing skill training to RTOs and industries, and offering automotive technologies and Indian-specific databases for customised product development in the Indian market.
Summing Up and the Way Forward
The discussions on electrification of the transport sector helped the organisers and the participants identify critical sectoral and regional aspects that need to be addressed to achieve the sectoral aspirations.
On May 30 2023, the next regional convening would be held in Lucknow to discuss sustainable cooking transition through deep electrification to deliberate electric cooking adoption and uptake.