The Minister of Road Transport and Highways & MSME, Nitin Gadkari has called upon the automobile industry to reduce the cost of the Electric Vehicle's (EV) so that the sales number goes up and as sales goes up the industry would also gain.
Addressing the Electric Mobility Conference 2020, organized by FICCI Karnataka State Council, Nitin Gadkari said, “The future is very bright and India has the potential to become the largest Electric Vehicle market in the world as the government continues to push for EV adoption.”
He said that Indian manufacturers have the capability to make efficient EVs that can not only create more jobs but also provide opportunities for exports.
“e-Mobility is going to be the future mode of transport with greater efficiency and less impact on the environment. Import of crude oil and air pollution are two major concerns for the country. We need to have an integrated approach for EVs,” added Gadkari.
He further urged FICCI and other stakeholders to come up with an integrated approach towards developing the EV sector in India.
Referring to the NITI Aayog report, Gadkari said that India needs a minimum of 10 GWs per hour of cells by 2022 which will be expanded to 50 GWs by 2025.
“We need to encourage the manufacturing of these cells in India. I urge the industry to think about manufacturing e-batteries in the country. We need to have a policy that promotes cost-effectiveness, substitute import, pollution-free and indigenous,” commented Gadkari.
Gadkari also said that the government is working towards making e-Highway on Delhi and Mumbai Expressway where e-buses and trucks would run.
“We are going ahead with a pilot project; the Delhi-Mumbai corridor will become the lifeline of India and we plan to install new electric roads. Electricity as a fuel is available in the country, hence mass rapid transport of electricity is the most important solution for the country,” added Gadkari.
Gadkari also emphasised promoting use of biofuels like CNG, LNG and informed that he would soon launch tractors run on Bio-CNG.
Ullas Kamath, Chairman, FICCI Karnataka State Council said, “FICCI strongly feels that India must continue to encourage EVs along with all other Electrified Vehicle technologies, such as Plug-in Hybrid EV, Strong Hybrid EVs and Fuel Cell EVs along with electrification of the transport sector to lessen air pollution, achieve fuel security and technology leadership in this sector.
“Karnataka is one of the first movers in adopting EV technology and has announced the policy in 2017 and is planning to set up an EV Cluster for companies who want to invest in this sector,” added Kamath.
Shekhar Viswanathan, Chairman, FICCI EV Committee said that with the advent of GST and subsequent reduction for EVs shows that the government is fully supportive.
