India Will Soon Be In A Position To Export Lithium-ion Batteries: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister of Road Transport Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that India will soon be in a position to export lithium-ion batteries.

Speaking at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM's) 64th convention in New Delhi, the Union Minister said," I'm confident that we'll be in a position to export lithium-ion batteries to the different parts of the world. At the same time, the research is going on. The aluminium, ironic oil, and different types of chemistry. I feel that it is also a good thing and there is a huge market for that."

Gadkari said with government initiatives and incentives many Indian companies are venturing into lithium-ion battery manufacturing.

"The good thing is that lithium-ion manufacturing is now Adani, Tata, Maruti, LG, and Samsung. They are all coming in this business. Because...Take the example of semiconductors the government adopted is such a good policy because of that after 2 three years we will be the number one in the manufacturing of the semiconductors in the world," he said.

Going further, Gadkari stated that India's EV market is expected to grow to one crore units of annual sales by 2030 and will create five crore jobs. Indian EV market has the potential to become Rs 20 lack crore by 2030.

Gadkari asked the industry to focus on quality, better designs, and use the latest technology if they want to compete in the segment and boost exports. Consumers are now conscious of quality.

The government is working on establishing a testing agency for better research and testing of vehicle manufacturing. CIIT Training Institute will be established in Pune with a sanctioned cost of Rs 450 crore.

"Regarding the Testing Agency for Better Research and Development and Development world-class Testing Agency in CIIT Pune we have decided to start a new venture there with international standards and having all types of the facility which are available in the world and my department has sanctioned 450 Cor or that already DPR is in process and next three months we will try to start this project and that is to be very important for the industry where we will get maximum service and maximum to all the industry," he said.

The Union Minister requested the automobile industry to support and cooperate with the government for India's scrappage policy.

Gadkari asked the industry to promote and come up with better incentives for the scrappage of old vehicles. The vehicle manufacturers of the USA and Europe have increased their sales by 9 to 12 per cent by promoting scrappage policy.

He also thanked the industry for the decision to provide a 3 percent discount for vehicle owners for scrapping their vehicles, adding that the cost of components can be reduced by 20-40 per cent due to the move. Gadkari urged the industry to establish their own scrappage centres.

In his remarks, Gadkari said, "The automobile industry plays a pivotal role in realizing the Prime Minister's vision of transforming India into a 5 trillion-dollar economy and elevating it to the third largest economy globally. Our ambition is to extend it as the number one auto manufacturing industry worldwide. As we target a carbon-neutral status by 2070, innovation and sustainable practices in the auto sector are crucial." (ANI)