JOIN USWorld EV day: India needs consistent policies, says Mercedes CEO
As India grapples with unprecedented vehicular pollution in the urban areas, one of the main solutions being seen is electric vehicles. However, that is easier said than done.
The high cost of acquiring an electric vehicle, particularly a car, is one of the major stumbling blocks in India’s electrification journey. Adding to that is the range anxiety of the customer and also what will happen to the e-waste that will be generated.
The government has the FAME-II scheme to push electric but it appears like a lot more needs to be done before India sees a more electric vehicles on its roads.
“I would wish for electric vehicles to help India become more sustainable and a cleaner environment. But I would also wish them to do it on a practical basis. Some of the framework is developing in a positive way. That starts with our need of charging infrastructure. And we need consistent policies for implementation, consistent policies round taxation and duty structures. It cannot be something that is there for one or two years, it has to be long term. I would wish right decisions are taken in that direction. I think some good steps are there. But it needs more to really grow the market here," said Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.
Ather Energy CEO and Co-founder Tarun Mehta said: “On this world EV day, I would like to acknowledge the efforts made by the government of India in promoting faster adoption of EVs. The introduction of policies like FAME II and additional subsidies by the state governments have helped EVs to go mainstream and encouraged the EV industry to introduce more innovative products for consumers. Several Indian automakers are now offering high-performance electric two-wheelers and are investing heavily in the development of the EV ecosystem. Consumer awareness has increased remarkably, and the demand is very strong right now. The Indian EV industry is finally taking off. In the next five years, India will see a significant increase in electric vehicles, with electric vehicles accounting for the majority of vehicles sold."
S Venkat, Director, Automotive Business, SKF India, said: “The Indian EV market has been experiencing exponential growth for the past couple of years. Government policies such as FAME II and stringent regulation on fuel efficiency and emissions, coupled with increased customer demand, have enabled the market for electrified vehicles (EVs) to boom."
Nimish Trivedi, Co-Founder and CEO, Prakriti E-Mobility Pvt. Ltd., said: "Over the past few years, we have seen a significant shift to sustainable mobility using electricity. While there is still some way to go in terms of making it more efficient and sustainable for the masses, the world's best minds are on the job. On this day, we celebrate the achievement of electric vehicles and I couldn't be happier that the upcoming generation may never see the harm created by the EV's predecessor. On this day we take note of the long road that we have come. EVs were unimaginable just a few years back. And now it's commercial electric vehicles that are leading the way in showing consumers the future.”
Shree Harsha, Director, India, Dassault Systemes, said: "We strongly believe that virtual universes will be a key enabler for our customers – and the world – to imagine, design, and test radically new products, materials and manufacturing processes of tomorrow‘s sustainable economy at the fastest possible speed. We are confident that virtual twins can help in modelling complex systems like battery, motors, power electronics and help in modelling and simulating their functioning with a very high level of accuracy which may greatly help in reduction of prototypes thus help in reducing the carbon footprint and overall cost of new product development. EVs are certainly a way forward and we are geared up to address the market requirements with our core industry solution experience – Electro Mobility Accelerator based on the 3DExperience platform to covering the needs of OEMs, suppliers and start-ups in the automotive industry."