E-Mobility India Forum launch edition concludes after a prolific dialogue on ‘electrifying’ the future of Indian mobility

The launch edition of ‘E-Mobility India Forum’ turned out to be a productive event for the industry that converged together to gain an elaborate understanding of the business dynamics and possibilities concerning the Indian EV industry. Held on 7^th October at Le Meridien, New Delhi, the conference united a wide spectrum of industry experts, inclusive of EV brand leaders and luminaries from major OEMs, auto component, power and government sectors.

The forum was inaugurated by eminent industry figures, including:

• Mr Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch India, & COO, Switch Global
• Shri Sudhendu J Sinha, Advisor, Infrastructure Connectivity & Electric Mobility vertical, NITI Aayog
• Shri K C Sharma, Superintending Engineer (Mechanical), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
• Shri N Mohan, Head – EV Charging Infrastructure, Convergence Energy Services Ltd
• Mr Winston Pereira, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd

Hosting 155 delegates under its roof, the E-mobility India Forum delved into various fundamental topics pertaining to the Indian EV industry following a detailed agenda. The versatility of deliberations enabled the attendees to gain a deep-dive perspective on the contemporary and future landscape of the Indian EV space.

The forum discussed topics, such as: the Future of mobility post the conversion to EV; EV Incentives, Policy, Challenges & Government Support in accelerating electrification; Opportunities & Challenges for Auto OEMs; Accelerating EV Component Manufacturing Growth through Make in India; EV Infrastructure & Innovative Business Models, and Interactive Session with EV Startups and Future Guidance.

Mr Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head, Audi India, who was also a part of the illustrious panel, expressed his views on the EV revolution: “When it comes to the success of e-mobility in India, I think we are on the way to becoming a big market for EV. OEMs, policy makers or infra companies converging together is creating a massive pull towards this movement and our responsibility as OEMs, is to give charging facility to our customers. The road to e-mobility is a marathon and we are just getting started. I am sure that in the coming years we will see it moving in a very positive direction.”

Opportunities in EV

According to a Grant Thornton Bharat-FICCI report, India will require around 4 lakh charging stations for around 20 lakh electric vehicles in the country by 2026. Investment in infrastructure and government support will play a significant role in fast-pacing the growth of e-mobility in India.

Sharing about the current penetration level of EVs in India as well as the investments in EV infrastructure by the government, Shri Sudhendu J Sinha, Advisor, Infrastructure Connectivity & Electric Mobility vertical, NITI Aayog, stated: “In India, E-2Ws and E-3Ws have already achieved TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) neutral, Electric Bus and Shared E-4Ws will be next. Public transport, especially city transport with fixed routes and limited distance is very much suited for EVs.”

“Massive opportunity is available to create dense network of charge points to charge electric vehicles in Tier-1, 2 & 3 cities. Recent policy announcements, re-strategising of Faster Adaption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme of INR 10,000 Crore, PLI scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) worth INR 18,100 crore and the new PLI scheme for automotive sector with incentives worth INR 26000 Cr for a period of five years will enable India to leapfrog from traditional fossil fuel-based automobile transportation system to environmentally cleaner, sustainable, advanced and more efficient Electric Vehicles (EV) based system.” Sinha, signed off.

Mr Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch India, & COO, Switch Global, shared: “One of the most important task that India has is to bring all stakeholders together. I am pretty happy to see the GOI, industry and all other stakeholders, including component manufacturers have participated in this (E-mobility India Forum), in a very active way. Such forums will create a great ecosystem of e-mobility development from vehicles to components, and also educating consumers on the benefits of EV in India.”

Enthused by the success of its launch edition, the E-mobility India Forum aims to support India’s ambition of harnessing electric mobility by serving as a premiere networking and knowledge-sharing industry forum.