India to sell only electric cars by 2030

While the United States is walking away from the historic Paris Climate Agreement, India is making a bold vow to start selling only electric cars by 2030.

India is one of the world's most polluted countries. Its energy department said in a blog post that it has set the "ambitious" target to stop selling gas-powered vehicles in an attempt to clean up its air.

As the country's economy has boomed, new industries and commuters have spewed pollutants in the air at staggering rates. Now, its 1.3 billion residents are suffering. One estimate says India's air contributes to 1.2 million deaths per year. Doctors have said breathing the air in New Dehli, the nation's capital, is like smoking 10 cigarettes a day.

India's energy minister, Piyush Goyal, said recently that the country will help facilitate the electric car effort by offering subsidies for a couple of years. "After that," he said, "the cost of electric vehicles will start paying for themselves."

The government's National Electric Mobility Mission Plan wants annual sales of electric and hybrid cars to hit 6 million to 7 million by 2020.

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