The Future Mobility Show (FMS 2019) — the largest showcase of products and technologies for future mobility, kicked off in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), FMS 2019 saw participation from all major stakeholders in the sector ranging from Government, Industry, Academia, as well as international participation. Electric mobility, apart from feeding into nation’s carbon emission reduction target, would lead to reduction of pollution in cities by 80-90% and curtail 10% of India’s oil imports forecast for 2030, narrowing India’s current account deficit.
Electric Mobility, with a current market of USD 163 billion globally, is fast emerging as an unprecedented opportunity in low-carbon transition of the global economy, making transportation clean and efficient. The Electric Vehicle (EVs) sector is witnessing record sales, as a result of developed economies such as EU, the USA and Japan as well as developing economies such as China and India including EVs in their policies to lower their carbon emissions while providing convenient and cost-effective mobility. The transport sector in India depends almost entirely on imported oil which accounted for USD 86 billion or 22.6 per cent of all imports in 2016-17. The sector emits 142 million tonnes of carbon, accounting for 7.5 per cent of all emissions in the country.
KJ George, Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industry, Government of Karnataka, said that the Future Mobility Show is a business platform to enable clean and sustainable mobility in India by 2030. E-mobility is already shaping and will continue to shape the automotive industry in India and around the world. By 2030, EVs will hold a substantial share of up to 50% of all new vehicle sales globally.
George added that some of the key initiatives for driving e-mobility by the government of Karnataka are India’s first ever electric technology manufacturing hub in Bengaluru by Mahindra Electric, India’s first electric vehicle charging stations setup by BESCOM at Bengaluru at 108 locations. Besides, the state government aims to replace 50% of petrol and diesel vehicles used by government staff in Bengaluru with electric vehicles by this year. The urban development department will be amending building bylaws to mandate between 10-20% of the parking space reserved for EV charging. An app is also being developed for EV owners to locate and find EV charging parking slots. The government is contemplating preferential parking for EV and adequate signage in the city to guide EV owners to parking slots.
According to him, Karnataka was one of the first states in India to realise the potential of electric mobility. Today, the state has emerged as a frontrunner in the sector, determined to play a vital role in driving EV penetration. Karnataka is the first state to announce subsidy for electric vehicles. The state has a comprehensive electric vehicle and energy storage policy which is a game-changer in the industry and it will be a model for other states to follow. Karnataka’s phased EV manufacturing strategy will strengthen local manufacturing and supply base. The Government aims to establish Karnataka as the electric vehicle capital of India.
Vikram Kirloskar, Vice President, CII said that the Indian economy is seeing substantial GDP growth at around 7.5% and this is expected to grow even further. We cannot have economic growth without mobility and we cannot have mobility without economic growth, but we need to do it in a way that is sustainable. To ensure that India remains at the cusp of innovation in the mobility sector, it requires its workforce to be continuously upgraded on the latest skills for higher value additions. This can only be achieved through skilling which will facilitate capital creation, leading to more economic activity and consequent additional jobs.
While elaborating on CII’s work in the Future Mobility Sector, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII said that CII has deepened its engagement with the Government and stakeholders on policy as well as the technology front. FMS 2019 is conceptualised keeping in view the Prime Minister’s 7C Vision on Future Mobility in India – Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion-free, Charged, Clean, and Cutting-edge. The government has shown through its various schemes a great will to transform the mobility landscape in India, National Policy on Bio-Fuels, and National Electric Mobility program among others. CII through its task force has worked towards attaining policies on energy security that are sustainable. Some of the key recommendations that CII has put forward include Market Creation and Adoption, Creating Scale for Make in India, Domestic Manufacturing of Vehicle Components and Batteries, Skill Development, Integration of Renewable Energy into Charging Infrastructure and Measures for Cost Reduction. These recommendations have been put forward to respective ministries and CII is looking forward to working closely with the government in its implementation.