Need Practical Approach for EV Adoption Targets: SIAM
Jun. 10, 2019Cautioning the government over the draft electric vehicle (EV)policy, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Sunday said the government should adopt a practical approach towards adoption of EVs, without disrupting the automotive industry.
“The automotive industry fully supports an ambitious aspiration of the NITI Aayog in bringing in electric mobility in the country as soon as possible. However, the ambition needs to be tempered with a practical approach and what is possible without needlessly disrupting the automotive industry,” a statement from SIAM quoted its President Rajan Wadhera as saying.
He observed that the industry is currently facing multiple challenges of “leapfrogging to BS-VI emission norms, complying with many new safety norms etc, in the shortest time-frame ever attempted in the world”.
In the current scenario, any policy to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles would lead to a policy induced disruption which could result in significant damage to the auto industry and spell a big blow to the overall ecosystem of the related medium, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), with its related impact on employment, he added.
“What is required is a well laid out roadmap for an ambitious EV rollout over a practical timeframe along with an integrated plan for setting up the necessary infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country, in consultation with all stakeholders.”
