The Road to EV-Nirbhar Bharat

As time ticks by, it’s getting increasingly apparent that India’s EV growth focus is on public transport and two- and three-wheelers

- NAVEEN MUNJAL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HERO ELECTRIC

IT TAKES less than a keen eye to notice that we are in the midst of a critical transition with regard to mobility in India. The more-than noticeable shift from internal combustion engines powering our vehicles to electric mobility is a cornerstone that, for a multitude of reasons, we must turn. As early adopters and firm believers to that line of thinking, we are gearing our selves up for what will surely be an exciting future ahead. That said, it’s not as simple a matter as ‘Plug and Play’. As with any good structure, a solid foundation needs to be in place and, in this case, that foundation is building up an appropriate infrastructure and ecosystem to support the electric revolution.

To its credit, the Indian government has already stepped in and played its part to a great extent. We’ve made a commitment to becoming a net-zero emission country by 2070, and laid out ambitious-yet achievable plans of having EV sales penetration of 30 per cent for private cars, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, 40 per cent for buses, and 80 per cent for two- and three-wheelers, all by 2030. These are important numbers that show we mean business, and the government’s revised FAME II subsidies and state EV policies have so far proven to be quite conducive to EV adoption. So while the signs are good, it’s not the complete picture. There are still a number of glaring roadblocks for India to overcome.