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India must support localised manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs) and scale up charging infrastructure, experts urged on the last day of the Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2025 in Nimli, Rajasthan.
The remarks were made at a special session on the future of e-mobility as well India’s target of achieving 500 GW renewable energy.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, had stated in 2021 that the government intends to have an EV sales penetration of 30 per cent for private cars, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles and 80 per cent for two and three-wheelers by 2030.
But is this possible?
Anumita Roychowdhury Executive Director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Mahua Acharya, Founder, INTENT discussed this issue at the conclave on February 28, 2025.
Roychowdhury talked how despite policies not favouring personal EVs, industry commitments and consumer demand for electric cars keep fueling each other. The next hurdle, she said, is to scale up charging infrastructure.
“Our programmes to support EVs will not work if we do not support localised manufacturing,” said Roywchowdhury.
Acharya talked about the electric bus market within the context of renewable energy technology.
“While we wait for demand to pick up and the market to develop, we can opt for retrofitting old buses and converting them to electric to extend their lives for a few more years,” she said.
Electric buses are central to India’s low-carbon pathway strategy. Unlike European countries — which are largely focused on car-centric electrification — India is more interested in transforming public transport services including buses, and intermediate para transit like autos, cabs, etc. into electric. Millions of Indians use these services daily.
Binit Das, Programme Manager, Renewable Energy, CSE and Ajay Yadav, President, Renewable Energy Association of Rajasthan, also talked about India’s renewable energy targets.
“Despite a rise in installed renewable capacity, coal dependence is unchanged. New renewables (wind, solar) account for only 13 per cent of generation; this needs to be 32 per cent by 2030 to meet targets,” said Das.
On his part, Yadav said India has a residential rooftop solar potential of 637 GW. “Decentralised generation is the way to go.”
The Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2025 is an annual conclave of journalists from India who write on environment and development issues. Over 80 journalists from across the country have participated this time in this one-of-its-kind platform, organised every year by CSE at its facility, the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute, located in Nimli, Rajasthan.