EV Takes Centre Stage Amid Paradigm Shift in Automotive Industry India is shifting gears to attain its ambitious climate change goal and generation of electric power from non-fossil fuels by 2030

The global automotive industry is undergoing a paradigm shift and the move toward electric vehicles is accelerating. India, one of the fast-growing markets for automobiles is also witnessing a huge demand for electric vehicles. With this demand comes challenges and opportunities.

The Indian automobile sector ranks fifth globally and is expected to rise to third by 2030. Currently, the EV industry in India is at a nascent stage, which has open opportunities for auto players to develop efficient EVs for the Indian consumers.

"Not only is e-mobility a viable and important element of India's mobility system; India also has the potential to become a major player in e-mobility. India is already an important player in the two, three wheeler market – which has the potential to accelerate significantly in the near future and make a material impact on pollution in Indian cities and on India's carbon emissions. The e-bus grand challenge run by CESL has the potential to make India a global leader in e-buses," said Shomik Raj Mehndiratta, practice manager, Transport South Asia, The World Bank.

India is shifting gears to attain its ambitious climate change goal and generation of electric power from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

Sharing a similar view, Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, NASSCOM Center of Excellence - IoT & AI, said, "IoT and AI technology have significant presence in the electrical vehicles whether it is battery management system, regenerative braking or advanced driver assistance features. Going forward these are expected to play a critical role in areas like predictive maintenance, creating real-time alerts for the users, and overall additions to vehicle and passenger safety."

While the need for EVs is critical for a sustainable future there are many challenges such as insufficient service stations, skilled manpower, lesser options as compared to ICE vehicles, among others.

"EV is much more efficient but the technology is mostly imported. We should focus on developing sub - components indigenously. R&D electronics group, thrust area to promote EV and battery swapping policy and battery recycling are some of the core focus areas," said Dr Om Krishan Singh, joint director , MEITY.

EVs represent one of the most promising pathways to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality across India. Understanding the challenges and exploring the concrete solutions, the experts looked to catapult the industry into the new-age mobility.

The experts were speaking at the EV Ecosystem Conclave' in Delhi organized by Alumni Associatin of IIT (BHU) and Pan IIT Alumni.