Government to introduce policies to get public transport in most Indian cities

NEW DELHI- Mr Tarun Kapoor, Advisor to the Prime Minister, PMO today stated that time for electric vehicles (EVs) in the country has come and India needs to move in this direction mainly because of our energy security and environmental concerns. "From government side also, we now want to focus on driving this sector so that not only do we have more and more electric cars, buses and two-wheelers on the road, but we also become a manufacturing hub for the world," he added.

Addressing the 'FICCI Roundtable on Electric Mobility', Mr Kapoor while highlighting the potential of the Indian electric market said that the auto sector in India is already well established which means all leading players are already in the market.

Speaking on the adoption of electric vehicles in public transport, Mr Kapoor said that the government will come out with policies to get public transport to most of the Indian cities. We will also ensure that this happens with electric vehicles and not with diesel only. "You can look forward to very large support from the government so that not only we will see transition from diesel buses, but we will see more and more electric public transport which is missing," he added. He also urged the industry for more investments in battery manufacturing along with the entire value chain of battery manufacturing. "Battery manufacturing requires more innovation and not being dependent on lithium batteries only," noted Mr Kapoor.

He further stated that in case of 2-wheelers, we should aim to transition close to 100 per cent in next 5-7 years and there is no reason why we can't do it, he emphasized. "The price has come down slightly as India is a very price sensitive market and therefore, the price has to come down further. The support from government including subsidies, taxes and policy reforms will not take us beyond a point but it is the industry who must take it forward," he asserted.