Press Release

A sustainable future call for reduced reliance on fossil fuels & electric mobility offers a safer and cleaner alternative - General (Dr.) V.K. Singh, MoS for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation

A sustainable future call for reduced reliance on fossil fuels & electric mobility offers a safer and cleaner alternative - General (Dr.) V.K. Singh, MoS for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation

New Delhi, 14th October 2022: The future and sustainability that we talk of, lies in ensuring reduced consumption of fossil fuels. Electric mobility stands out as the safer, cleaner and better alternative. Under the AtmaNirbhar Bharat initiative, we have been incentivizing work on finding an alternative. We have made significant progress in hydrogen technology and our hydrogen cell technology will be the cheapest source of energy when it enters the market, said General (Dr.) V.K. Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation at the ASSOCHAM event.

“We need to put our heads together. The answer does not lie in looking at solutions outside the country as our problems are unique. We must work on developing the ecosystem, nothing can come up in isolation. We have the capability, the market for e-mobility is taking off globally. The earlier we start realizing our capabilities, the better it is for us. We can become the supplier right at the beginning rather than playing catch-up”, said General (Dr.) V.K. Singh,   at the National Conference on Electric Mobility: Strengthening Eco-System – The way forward organized by ASSOCHAM.

“The government supports the transition to electric mobility. We need to look at possibilities and in intra-city travel we can concentrate on electric mobility. We need a public transport system that is not only cheaper but is better and attractive enough for people to opt for it. Longer travel on inter-city routes is restrictive right now due to concerns of battery range and availability of charging infrastructure” he added.

Mr Tarun Kapoor, Advisor to Hon’ble Prime Minister, PMO addressing the conference said, “For India, moving from fossil fuels and getting more renewables into the system is important not only from environmental perspective and our commitments at the international levels. The call for Atma Nirbhar Bharat entails reduced dependence on imports. Our energy needs will keep on growing and so will the transport sector. As a sector, transport accounts for 30 to 35 percent of energy consumption and contributes about 17% to the greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy penetration in transport is at a miniscule 1.5 to 2 percent. In 2021-22, 17.5 million ICE vehicles were sold compared to 4 lakh EV. The government is working to strengthen the eco-system and incentivize the industry through various PLI schemes so that end-to-end manufacturing and value addition for e-mobility can happen in the country.

Mr. Nishant Arya, Chairman, National Council on Green Mobility, ASSOCHAM & Vice Chairman, JBM Group addressing the conference said, “Entire Indian electric mobility ecosystem is robust from the process of generation to consumption. There is multiple tech that is being utilized like batteries, charging efficiency levels to make an entire Make in India setup for the world. Electric mobility has led to total ownership of manufacturers and startups are playing a key role to boost the sector. There is a great initiative by states to have their own EV policies and R&D Expenditure to harness the full potential of the solar and auto sector”.

Mr. Harshvardhan Sharma, Head – Automotive Retail Practice, Automotive Industry Consulting Group, NRI Consulting and Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. Said, “'Auto sector contributes 7.5% of GDP in India and is a key driver for economic growth'. There is a need to shift from fossil fuel consumption and non-renewable sources to eco-friendly and alternative forms of energy like EV for energy security. There is an increase in policy interventions in the sector like the PLI scheme. There should be a localization of the supply chain to unlock the benefits of Electric mobility adoption”.

Mr. S. Krishnakumar, Co-Chairman, National Council on Auto & Auto Ancillaries, ASSOCHAM and MD & CEO, Shriram Pistons and Rings Ltd. said, “With alternate energy, India can create a global benchmark in making affordable public transport and promote Make in India manufacturing around the globe”.