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India’s growing per capita income, aspiring youth population, environment-consciousness and impetus to digital infrastructure offer a huge potential for e-vehicle manufacturers.
Global Mobility Summit saw a display of the latest technologies in the mobility space including electric vehicles and solutions to reduce emission and facilitate shared and connected mobility.
Suzuki, Toyota in pact
Japanese car-maker Suzuki will launch its first EV in India by 2020 in partnership with Toyota. It will start the test run using a fleet of 50 EV prototype vehicles in India from next month to develop safe and easy-to-use EVs suited for climatic and traffic conditions here.
The company will also commence production of lithium-ion battery for automobiles at its battery plant in Gujarat by 2020.
Korean carmaker Hyundai is all set to launch electric cars in India and is betting on fuel cell electric vehicle NEXO and autonomous IONIQ.
Chinese motor company SAIC, which entered India in 2017, announced the launch of internet car in India by first half of 2019. The company plans to invest $500 million by 2020 through MG Motor India, its fully-owned subsidiary.
It doesn’t end here.
German company Bosch announced that the company is in discussions to launch combustion engines with negligible emission for two- and three-wheelers in India.
Automation company ABB Group launched battery charging station to fast charge cars in eight minutes for a 200-km run.
Speaking at the summit here on Friday, Osamu Suzuki, Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation, said that the company has been in India since 1983. “In India, there is a significant number of people who are eagerly waiting to have their own car. It is said that EV will be approximately 30 per cent in 2030, which means a huge population of vehicles would still be non-EV at that time,” Suzuki said.
Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman, Toyota Motor Corp, said, “Global warming is a problem” and the company is developing cars keeping that in mind. It plans to make EV versions for its entire models by 2025 and bring down the emission by 2025, making the company well-positioned in the EV race.
Volkmar Denner, Chief Executive Officer, Bosch, said increasing pollution and traffic are major concerns in India. According to him, a mix of combustion engines with negligent emissions, which the company has been working on, and electrification could be a solution.
Some challenges
But, these automakers see challenges too, primarily on the infrastructure front. Guenter Butschek, Managing Director of Tata Motors, said, “While it is nice to see volumes grow up, it is imperative that we offer a safe and clean transport.”
Suzuki said, “We also need to address various issues in addition to electrification of vehicles such as EV and hybrid vehicles. It cannot be done without sufficient charging infrastructure development. In this regard, we look forward to proactive leadership from the government.”
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said one should also make mobility inclusive by creating a digital platform for multi-modality transport, where people can look at multiple transport options in public private partnership.
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