Govt working to make India an automobile manufacturing hub in next 5 years: Gadkari

By OEM Update Editorial November 9, 2020 4:39 pm IST

The government is working towards making India a global automobile manufacturing hub in the next five years. The government is already making policies to support the industry, said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways & MSME.

Addressing the virtual ‘Electric Mobility Conference 2020’, organised by FICCI Karnataka State Council, Gadkari said, “The future is very bright and India has the potential to become the largest Electric Vehicle (EV) market in the world as the government continues to push for EV adoption,” he added.

Gadkari further called upon the automobile industry to reduce cost of the EVs so that the sale number goes up and as the sale goes up the industry would also gain. He stressed that the quality ogf the vehicles should also be maintained. Gadkari felt that with higher output the automobile industry would be able to cater to growing market. He also said that 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. Import of crude oil and air pollution are two major concerns for the country. We need to have an integrated approach for EVs,” he added.

He further urged FICCI and other stakeholders to come up with an integrated approach towards developing the EV sector in India. Referring to the NITI Aayog 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 substitute import, pollution-free and indigenous,” he emphasised.