India’s is pushing auto part and car makers to draw up plans to electrify all new vehicles by 2030. India’s minister for road transport, Nitin Gadkari, asked companies to start building electric and alternative fuel vehicles or risk being overtaken by policy changes.
Maker of engines, Cummins India, is investing in research on electric mobility solutions, while Hyundai Motor Co began talks with some of its suppliers for components for electric cars. Ashok Leyland launched an electric bus last year, and the company has since partnered with Indian start-up SUN Mobility to develop battery-swapping technology for cars, buses and trucks, reports Daily News.
According to industry data, electric car sales in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing car markets, are negligible compared with annual sales of over 3 million petrol and diesel cars in the last fiscal. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only electric car maker in India but it will soon be joined by Tata Motors which is exploring the possibility of building electric vehicles, managing director Guenter Butschek said. Hyundai said it plans to customize existing electric cars for the Indian market, but if that was not feasible it will develop new electric cars said Rakesh Srivastava, director, sales and marketing.
