NITI Aayog asks two, three-wheeler makers to submit EV roadmap in two weeks
NITI Aayog, the policy think-tank of the India government, has asked two and three-wheeler manufacturers to come up with an action plan that will see them transition to EVs by the 2025 deadline. Manufacturers need to respond within two weeks.
Niti Aayog wants all three-wheelers by 2023 and all two-wheelers below 150cc by 2025, to be electrically powered. These recommendations were made at a meeting between Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant and members of the two/three wheeler industry like Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj, TVS Motor chairman Venu Srinivasan, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) president and CEO Minoru Kato along with SIAM director-general Vishnu Mathur, and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) director general Vinnie Mehta.
The organization warns that without such a roadmap, meeting the ambitious deadline might not be possible. Also, given the country's serious pollution issues, these steps will have to be taken quickly, failing which courts will have to step in.
The manufacturers feel that the timing of these changes could have been better planned. The two-wheeler market is going through a serious slump, and the compliance with BSVI emission norms have the carmakers occupied. A sudden transition right now could cause disruptions in the market and result in job cuts, even leading to India losing its status as the world's largest two-wheeler market. They are looking for a more composed and better-timed process before making decisions in this regard.
The government's argument was that India shouldn't miss out on the electric mobility revolution. It also said that if traditional manufacturers are unable to fill the void, startups might step in to fill the void.
