What do Leading Car Companies Think About EVs in India

EV adoption by the government of India

With the Indian government eyeing 30% of total vehicles going electric by 2030, a lot of groundwork needs to be done. As a result, the government has decided to replace its fleet of diesel and petrol cars with Tata Tigor and Mahindra e-Verito electric cars in bulk. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has issued tenders to procure  20,000 electric cars in all till date. With this fleet, the government is expecting savings of 5 crore litres of fuel every year and reduction if 5.6 lakh tonnes of annual CO2 emission.

We recently heard the views of Amitabh Kant, the CEO of NITI Aayog on the said matter. according to him, the phase-out needs to happen gradually in the price-sensitive Indian market.

Leading Domestic Electric Car Companies in India

In order to make the most of the given opportunity, Tata Motors is planning to expand its production capacity to 500 vehicles per day, by the end of 2018-19. The company is amongst India’s largest automobile manufacturers and enjoys a leading position in the commercial as well as passenger vehicle segment in India. Tata Motors is also planning to launch its first electric vehicle i-Pace in 2018 which will compete directly with Tesla EVs. The company has a huge manufacturing facility at Sanand near Ahmedabad and Tata Motors is looking at making it the EV capital of India. The company is already manufacturing the Tata Tigor’s electric version from this plant which is being supplied to the government. The company awaits more clarity on the policies regarding EVs and charging infrastructure by the government to take future action.

Hero range of Electric Bikes

Another leading name in the Indian EV market is Mahindra & Mahindra. The company plans to make 60,000 electric vehicles annually from 2020 and also to double its EV portfolio in three years. The company is incurring extensive capital expenditure for product development and capacity expansion of its electric vehicle business. Other players like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are also looking at entering the EV market by 2019-20. Hero group is also planning to aggressively enter into the EV market. The company will make its own electric motorcycles and scooters that will be launched under its own brand name. A Chinese company BYD Auto Co. Ltd has already launched electric buses in India. India is also looking at favorable policies to aggressively electrify two-wheelers and three-wheelers. Also, read Best Electric Scooters/ Bikes Companies In India.