PR No – 34
13th February, 2024
New Delhi
With 33 States & UTs of India having their own EV Policies in place, India set to become a global EV manufacturing hub; Tier 2 & 3 cities laggards in EV adoption; Government urged to continue FAME scheme
Speaking at PHDCCI’s India Electric Vehicles Conclave on 12 February 2024 at New Delhi, the Chief Guest, Mr Sudhendu J. Sinha, IRTS, Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity & Electric Mobility), NITI Aayog, informed that now 33 States and UTs in India have their own EV policies which apart from providing an EV ecosystem are also focussing on attracting investments in the EV sector. He informed that in India while the Central Government has been running various programs and schemes like FAME I & II, the State Governments drive their own policies. While adoption of EVs started at a very slow pace in 2014-15, now the momentum has picked up and we have 7000 electric buses running in India. The Government has also roped in 16 IITs and National Research Labs to carry our R & D in EVs, Batteries, Charging equipment. The recent announcement in Budget about scheme for 1 crore homes having solar rooftops will further give an impetus to the Battery sector and in these homes solar power will be used for EV charging. He informed that as per the latest Economic Survey, by 2030 India will become a global EV manufacturing hub and expressed hope that soon we will become a major EV exporter as well.
Delivering the Keynote address at the Conclave, Mr Bhaskar Rajah, Regional Energy Team Leader, USAID, US Embassy, informed that the USAID has been supporting India’s EV journey since the last 20 years. USAID has a big focus on Decarbonisation of Transport sector in South Asia and they have proposed various innovative methods like demand aggregation of EV buses to reduce costs. He expressed hope that India will soon start exporting EVs to African countries.
Mr Pawan K. Tibrawalla, Co-Chair, Renewable Energy Committee, PHDCCI, in his Address emphasised on Partnerships for facilitating EV adoption in India and appealed that all stakeholders, including the government, industry, academia, and civil society, should come together and work in synergy to drive the EV transformation. We must promote domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles and their components. This will not only boost employment opportunities but also reduce our dependence on imports and strengthen our economy. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and other initiatives aimed at promoting indigenous manufacturing should be further reinforced to create an environment conducive to the growth of electric vehicle manufacturing in India.
Dr Ranjeet Mehta, Executive Director, PHDCCI, in his Welcome Address spoke about the significance of EVs in India’s journey towards reduction of emissions.
Mr Preetesh Singh, NRI Consulting and Solutions India Pvt. Ltd in his address as the Knowledge Partner, emphasised on continuity of programs like FAME scheme and support for the EV sector. FAME-I & FAME-II budget utilization has been challenging resulting into timeline extensions. Long term pragmatic view is required to enable planning and investments. A circular economy requiring supply chain localization and reuse & recycling of retiring batteries can help India meet its self reliance targets for EV. India has seen progress in raw materials through its plans to mine in countries by signing treaties & newly found lithium deposits in J&K
A Knowledge Report titled : Electric Mobility Ecosystem in India : Roadmap for the future, was also released at the Conclave which was been prepared by NRI Consulting and Solutions India Pvt. Ltd & PHDCCI. Mr Yash Pal Sachar, VP, Ashok Leyland spoke about the EV offerings of his company. Ms Mili Dubey delivered the Vote of Thanks at the Conclave which was attended by 225 delegates. A display of recent Electric Cars launched in India along with Innovations by EV Startups was also organised.
*END*
Warm Regards,
Media Division
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry