Why Is Affordability Still An Issue With Electric Cars In India?

The demand for electric passenger vehicles in the country is being impacted by its high pricing due to the lack of a robust and cost-effective supply chain in India. Autocar Professional discussed with industry leaders ideas that can help meet the challenge.

- Shruti Mishra and Mayank Dhingra

Amidst the great transition to electric mobility, the Indian automotive industry has to face challenges on many fronts. Getting the price right is one of the biggest hurdles that the industry has to overcome and figuring out strategies to reduce battery costs and make electric vehicles (EVS) affordable is now top priority.

To ignite a discussion, Autocar Professional held a two-day virtual event called the EV Forum (Passenger Vehicles) on November 28 and 29. In attendance were industry experts from OEMs, suppliers and charging infrastructure players.

DAY 1

The keynote address for the virtual event was given by Rajeev Chaba, president and managing director, MG Motor India.

The panel discussion themed 'Decoding the affordability challenge' comprised panellists like Anand Kulkarni, Product Line Head and VP, Passenger Electric Vehicles, Tata Motors; Hardeep Singh Brar, VP and Head of Marketing and Sales, Kia India, and Ramanathan Srinivasan, Managing Director, Automotive Test Systems, who unanimously emphasised that affordability will play a huge role in the success of any electric car in the country.

"The battery supply chain is a crucial issue to which we don't have the exact answer right now. At this stage, we must make strategic choices about the supply chain as well as other EV parts like motors, controllers, harnesses, BMS." Rajeev Chaba, President & MD, MG Motor India