Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is known for his words of wisdom and thoughtful insights on various everyday topics. He is one of the spiritual leaders (gurus) who seem to be knowledgeable about cars and tech as well. Now the founder of Isha Foundation has come up with an interesting and valid finding about electric vehicles and the rapid switch to them.
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Sadhguru says that the use of electric vehicles (EVs) will reduce tailpipe emissions and reduce pollution in cities and towns. It could improve the air quality indices of these places. However, in the larger picture, a complete switch to EVs cannot be wholly eco-friendly for a country like India. It will not help in the long-term health of the environment. According to him, the only takeaway from EV adoption would be a reduction in pollution levels in urban centres.
In India, the major share of its electrical energy is generated by burning coal or diesel. This excessive reliance on thermal power plants is what’s conflicting with the ‘EV-driven green future’. A careful examination would reveal that the pollution caused by these power plants is much more than all the tailpipe emissions combined. This is strong enough a reason to dismiss the ‘Go green’ claims of EV buyers.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has been spotted with several drool-worthy vehicles on multiple occasions and the same have gathered eyeballs. He was previously spotted with a Mercedes G63 AMG, Land Rover Defender 110, and a Toyota Land Cruiser J40 from the 70s.
He’s also been spotted riding the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, Multistrada 1260, BMW K 1600 GT, and Honda Africa Twin. These have been selected for his endeavours based on various factors like terrain and paths to be traversed. The Guru has done multiple drives and rallies for various causes, like revitalising India’s rapidly depleting rivers and addressing the soil crisis.
Isha Foundation confirms that Sadhguru doesn’t own these vehicles, and they were, in fact, ‘donated’ to the Isha Foundation by various donors. The Mercedes Benz G63 AMG was, in fact, lent to Sadhguru for a month for the Rally For Rivers. These vehicles are either returned to the donors or auctioned off after the activities. The proceeds of these auctions are used to support various social causes that Isha undertakes.
Previously Insisted On Devising Workable Alternatives To Fossil Fuels
This isn’t the first time that Jaggi Vasudev has spoken critically about fossil fuel ditching and electric adoption. Previously at the UN climate talks (COP29), he said that turning away from fossil fuels without providing alternatives will not work. Excessive Green Talks and Carbon Talks without devising workable alterives that will not ask/demand people to change the routines or lifestyles they are used to, is not going to fetch results, according to him.
India’s Energy Landscape: Quick Look At It
India is a country that has excessive energy and electricity needs- thanks to its huge population and the now-rising number of electric vehicles and ‘sustainable’ mobility solutions. However, the energy landscape of our country consists mainly of thermal power. Around 75% of the total energy produced is by burning coal or diesel in such plants. We also depend on other conventional sources like oil, natural gas, and nuclear power facilities.
The reliance on renewable sources accounts for around 25%. This is with the various sources like wind, solar, hydro and biomass combined. The hydro, solar and wind together form 10%. Evidently, it is this 10% that we can call ‘clean energy’ and the same should ideally be powering the electric mobility solutions if they were to be called ‘Green’ and ‘non-polluting’. This, unfortunately, is not the case in India right now.
To put things more into perspective, through the current EV adoption drives and active shifts to electric vehicles, we are essentially relocating the pollution from tailpipes to powerplant exhausts and to an extent, amplifying it.
