Page 20 - MMI- Aug2022

INSIGHT - ELECTRIC VEHICLES

TOWARDS AN ELECTRIC FUTURE

For India to become a manufacturing hub for EV Cells, we need a long-term

strategic roadmap.

Source: Magic Wand Media

s experts commented, Importing the batteries for EVs turing of (Hybrid &) Electric Ve-
A “Transportation is tran- definitely makes the product hicles (FAME) India Scheme was

launched, failed to address the
costlier in the Indian market
sforming, and we need
to get ready,” little did policy- compared to conventional in- Manufacturing industry relat-
makers, entrepreneurs, and ternal combustion engine (ICE) ed to EV components. Instead,
OEM suppliers in India know vehicles, or what we call petrol the plan incentivized and con-
how electric vehicles were to vehicles. However, manufac- centrated on EV manufacturing
change the entire outlook for turing these cells in India would and adoption by addressing the
the Automobile industry in the be cost-effective only when it issue of EV charging stations. As
next decade. catches up to the scale in the a result, Phase II of the scheme,
As the Indian Government has other Li-ion cell manufacturing which was supposed to end in
placed itself firmly in the driv- countries. And here comes the March this year, has now been
ing seat to usher in the revolu- catch – despite multiple policy extended until 2024.
tion of Electric Vehicles (EV) by and strategic interventions by Secondly, while policies have
planning to become a 100 per- the Government, India suffers been introduced for setting
cent ‘Electric Vehicle Nation’ from structural issues that it up manufacturing units, there
SAURABH PATAWARI by 2030, it is necessary to look has to address before being able is nothing on the expendi-
Founder objectively into manufacturing to become a production hub for ture side for research and de-
Natural Battery costs and the viability of the Li-ion cells. sign. We must recognize that
Technologies
target. As EV cells constitute capital investment for cell man-
60 to 70 percent of the total cost The structural roadblocks ufacturing facilities is huge.
of EVs, it is pertinent that the Firstly, we have started late. A typical Gigafactory will need
Government sets a clear road- The Government’s initial plans, `1,100 to 1,200 crore of invest-
map for manufacturing lithi- way back in 2015 when the ment to start. And given the
um-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Faster Adoption and Manufac- nascent stage of battery man-

20 | July-August 2022 Modern Manufacturing India