EV Transition Needs Extensive Planning to Succeed: N Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons

N Chandrasekaran recently said that the transition to EV needs to be properly planned so as to ensure that the entire ecosystem is ready

Tata Sons Chairman, N Chandrasekaran recently said that the migration or perhaps the transition to electric vehicles (EV) in the country needs to be properly planned so as to ensure that the entire ecosystem is ready through a multi-year road map. Echoing views of industry leaders who have called for a calibrated approach towards electric mobility. 

“The migration to EV is important in our journey for sustainable mobility. But it needs to be planned to ensure that we have the entire ecosystem ready,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement. 

This statement comes at a time when the country’s top two-wheeler makers like Hero, Bajaj, TVS and Honda have opposed Niti Aayog’s plan to push for 100 percent electric vehicles by completely banning two-wheelers powered by Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) of up to 150cc by 2025. 

He further said, “What the government and industry must do is build a multi-year road map together, with milestones that could help all the players understand shared objectives, build capabilities and infrastructure and minimise any surprises along the way.”

Tata group firm Tata Motors is among the pioneers of electric vehicles in four wheeler segment in India. It along with homegrown rival Mahindra & Mahindra has won orders from state-owned EESL to supply electric cars for usage by various ministries. 

Chandrasekaran said the demand for EVs needs to be created with the right incentives. “So the government and the industry need to work together to calibrate holistically the timeline of significantly reducing emissions.”

In the past, manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda had also called for an electric vehicle policy outlining long-term perspective, framework and parameters under which they could sell such eco-friendly vehicles. They have also argued that hybrid technology must also be considered and supported for the transition from conventional internal combustion engines to full EVs. 

Last year, Maruti Suzuki had said that EVs are for the long term and that the future of the company maybe electric, but getting there involves a slight detour of compressed natural gas (CNG) and hybrid vehicles, rather than all electric.