The government on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive roadmap aimed at positioning India as a global leader in electric vehicle (EV) technology.
The “e-Mobility R&D Roadmap for India” was launched at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe in New Delhi by Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
Developed after extensive analysis of the global automotive sector, the roadmap focuses on four key areas: energy storage cells, EV aggregates, materials and recycling, and charging and refueling. It outlines strategies to achieve self-reliance in these crucial sectors within the next five years, aligning with India’s goals of energy independence by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070.
During the launch event, Prof. Sood emphasized the need to reduce dependence on imports within the e-mobility value chain and strengthen domestic R&D capabilities.
Dr. Preeti Banzal, Adviser at the Office of PSA, provided an overview of the efforts to create a robust R&D ecosystem in the automotive sector. The roadmap was prepared by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) under the guidance of the Consultative Group on eMobility (CGeM), a panel of experts from government, academia, and industry.
Prof. Karthick Athmanathan, PSA Fellow and Professor of Practice at IIT Madras, presented a summary of the roadmap, highlighting its potential to address current import dependencies and prevent similar situations in the future. The research projects identified in the roadmap aim to achieve both technological deployment and market leadership.
The initiative comes as part of India’s broader strategy to reduce emission intensity by 45% by 2030 and transition towards a more sustainable transportation sector. The government views the automotive industry as a crucial contributor to the country’s GDP and seeks to align its growth with the nation’s environmental goals.
Prof. Sood reiterated the importance of aligning the fast-growing automobile sector with India’s Net-Zero vision. He called for fostering a culture of R&D and innovation-driven growth in the automotive industry to ensure sustained progress and global competitiveness.