TL;DR
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy called for greater domestic technology development and value addition in India's EV sector to ensure a sustainable and affordable transition to electric mobility.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy emphasized the critical need for India's electric vehicle (EV) industry to enhance its cost competitiveness, localization efforts, and manufacturing capabilities. This push aims to foster an affordable and economically sustainable transition towards electric mobility nationwide. He underscored that the success of India's green mobility transition should not solely be measured by EV sales volumes, but also by the extent of indigenous technological development and value addition within the country.
Kumaraswamy highlighted the government's continued support for electric mobility through various initiatives, including the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme. This scheme, initially announced in August 2024 with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore, allocates significant funds for electric buses, charging infrastructure, and electric trucks. While India's public charging network has seen rapid expansion, challenges such as reliability, affordability, charger uptime, interoperability, and grid connectivity persist, impacting wider EV adoption.
