More than 80 percent of Li-Ion batteries for EVs sold in India made locally: Gadkari

Several startups in the country are working on alternate battery technologies as there has been a substantial increase in electric vehicles in India.

Image for representation

Road Transports and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on March 16 said that India has been producing 81 percent of Lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles in the country. 

Noting that the electric vehicle is a success story, he said in the Rajya Sabha, that there has been a substantial increase in electric vehicles in India - from 24,600 in 2020, to over 49,500 now. Gadkari further said that several startups in the country are also working on alternate battery technologies.

Following the line of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ he told the house that the government will reduce imports and within two years, the use of clean fuel, alternative fuel, and bio-fuel will increase in the country.

To CPI-M member John Brittas who asked about the Centre’s model policy to promote EVs, Gadkari said that the GST rate for EVs is only five percent. He also said that alternative power sources should be focused upon. Calling "green hydrogen" the fuel for the future, he noted that it is being used across Europe.

Responding to Congress lawmaker Jairam Ramesh’s question if the government has a plan to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles in the country over the next few years, Gadkari said that the government has launched a scrapping policy to tackle the issue.

He further said the shift towards electric vehicles would be a natural choice of people because of its benefits financially as well as it being good for the environment. However, he also said that he would not commit any target towards the phase-out but the scenario will change in three years.

(With inputs from IANS)