India to emerge as an automobile manufacturing hub in next 5 years

12 November 2020: India has the potential to become the largest  market in the world as the government continues to push for EV adoption. The Government of India is working towards making the country a global automobile manufacturing hub in the next five years, as disclosed by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways & MSME, Govt of India. He was addressing the virtual ‘Electric Mobility Conference 2020’, organized by FICCI Karnataka State Council.

Gadkari said “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.”
Referring to the  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, and is import substitute, pollution-free and indigenous.”

Gadkari also said that the government is working to launch an e-Highway between Delhi and Mumbai 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.”
Ullas Kamath, Chairman, FICCI Karnataka State Council & Joint MD, Jyothy Labs Limited said, “Karnataka is one of the first movers in adopting EV technology and had announced the policy in 2017. The Govt of Karnataka is planning to set up an EV Cluster for companies who want to invest in this sector.”