NITI Aayog, RMI, and RMI India Launch ‘Shoonya’ Campaign

What is the News?

NITI Aayog along with Rocky Mountain Institute(RMI), an independent non profit organization has launched Shoonya Initiative.

About Shoonya Initiative

Shoonya is an initiative to promote zero-pollution delivery vehicles by working with consumers and the industry. 

Aim: To accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the urban deliveries segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution delivery.

As part of the campaign, a corporate branding and certification programme is being launched to recognise and promote the industry’s efforts towards transitioning to EVs for final-mile deliveries. 

Moreover, an online tracking platform will share the campaign’s impact through data such as vehicle-kilometres electrified, carbon savings, criteria pollutant savings and other benefits from clean delivery vehicles.

Advantages of Electric Vehicles in goods delivery

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

On the other hand, EVs emit no tailpipe emissions which can contribute immensely to improved air quality. Even when accounting for their manufacture, they emit 15-40% less CO2 compared to their internal combustion engine counterparts and have lower operational cost

Source: This post is based on the article “NITI Aayog, RMI, and RMI India Launch ‘Shoonya’ Campaign” published in PIB on 15th September 2021.