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Electric vehicle (EV) will only grow in the future and this 'silent revolution' is going to bring a lot of change in the future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said on Sunday in Gandhinagar.
"Be it two-wheeler or four-wheeler, they don't make any noise. This silence is not only about its engineering, but also the beginning of a silent revolution in the country, he said.
As part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the EV ecosystem, the Prime Minister said that various incentives are being provided to EV buyers and the government has also taken numerous steps such as rebates in income tax and simplifying the loan process.
“To boost the supply, work is also being carried out at a fast pace to introduce PLI schemes in automobile and automobile components manufacturing. A lot of policy decisions have also been taken to prepare a robust electric vehicle charging infrastructure," he said adding that a battery swapping policy has also been introduced in this year's Budget.
Laying the ground
Speaking at a programme marking the commemoration of 40 years of Suzuki in India, being held here, Modi said the success of Maruti Suzuki also signifies the strong India-Japan partnership.
"In the last eight years, the relations between our two countries have reached new heights. Today, from the bullet train in Gujarat-Maharashtra to the Rudraksh centre in Banaras in UP, many development projects are examples of India-Japan friendship," he said.
The PM also informed that many other Japanese companies have expressed interest to invest in India. He also underlined the importance of this year as India and Japan mark 70 years of their relationship.
"Our efforts always carried seriousness and respect for Japan, that is why about 125 Japanese companies along with Suzuki are operational in Gujarat," he added.
Meanwhile, the PM laid the foundation stones of Maruti Suzuki India Kharkhoda (Sonipat, Haryana) plant and Suzuki EV Battery Plant, Hansalpur, Gujarat (both virtually from here).
The Suzuki battery plant in Gujarat will be set up with an investment of around ₹7,300 crore to make advanced cell batteries for EVs, while the vehicle manufacturing facility in Kharkhoda, will manufacture 10-lakh passenger vehicles per year, and the first phase of the project will be set up with an investment of over ₹11,000 crore.
Speaking at the event, Toshihiro Suzuki, President, Suzuki Motor (Japan), said, "In the last fiscal, Suzuki Group produced about 28-lakh automobiles all over the world. Out of those, more than 16-lakh units, or about 60 per cent, were produced in India. Also, exports from India reached a record of about 2.4-lakh units last year."
He also announced that Suzuki has established a new company, Suzuki R&D Centre India, which is a wholly-owned by Suzuki Japan. "We aim to strengthen our R&D competitiveness and capabilities in new fields of technologies not only for India but also for the global markets," he added.
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