Who is going to build India's electric future?

India’s tryst with electric vehicles is just getting started. The auto industry is excited. Suzuki and Mahindra are making large-scale investments on li-ion battery plants. Giants like Hyundai, Tata and Nissan will launch new electric car models in 2019. Even FAME-II has finally rolled out. But all these promises will crumble, without focusing on one key ingredient: talent

India’s electric future depends on a new kind of engineering talent, but neither academia or industry is producing it

Online skilling portals have found a niche and are filling the skill gap with courses on battery management and electric motors

Innovating locally is what gives China and the US a leg up in this global EV race. Has India already missed that boat?

Stop-gap measures or long term investment to develop talent? How India decides now, will impact the rest of its EV growth story

UPDATE: On 7 March, the government officially announced a 15% import subsidy on lithium. The Ken had earlier reported a 5% subsidy rate, as told to us by a senior official in the know of FAME-II policy discussions.

2019 will be the year of the perfect electric storm.

This is the year that India might finally get the chance, in earnest, to ride on the path to electric mobility. After almost a year of policy negotiations between the Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles scheme, or FAME-II, was passed last week.

AUTHOR

Olina Banerji

Based in Delhi, Olina writes about mega-trends in urban mobility, education, skilling and the environment, with a focus on how institutions and innovations can help cities grow sustainably. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics, and has worked previously with India Today and global non-profit Ashoka.

View Full Profile