SMEV hosts ‘EV Industry @ 2030: Future Roadmap’ national conference and awards

The Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) hosted the first edition of the national conference and awards for the Indian EV industry under the theme of 'EV Industry @ 2030: Future Roadmap' in New Delhi. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. M N Pandey, Union Minister for Heavy Industries, and saw the participation of dignitaries from multiple organizations working towards the mission of EV adoption in the country.

The conclave witnessed a series of panel discussions on policy initiatives, manufacturing ecosystem, standardization, charging infrastructure, and EV financing, while elaborating on the challenges and opportunities for the sector.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. M N Pandey, said, "By 2030, the resolve that we have put in front of the world to reach zero-emission will put the world's faith in us. The government has had good projects running for the last few years FAME 1, FAME 2, or PLI scheme, it is progressing ahead with the enthusiastic cooperation of all Industry players".

He said that over 60 percent of the consumers consider e-vehicles as out of their budget. To address this bottleneck, our government has made many schemes, within which we have increased the scope of exemption so that more people can buy EVs. "Given the response of FAME 2, the government has started working more rapidly in this direction", he claimed.

Gen. (Dr.) V K Singh, Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, spoke on the need for the industry to synergize its thought processes. On recent fire incidents involving EVs, he said the ministry is taking cognizance of the incidents and taking actions to further lay down stringent guidelines.

Speaking on the evolution of the Indian EV ecosystem, Naveen Munjal, President of SMEV, said, "The growing EV industry also opens opportunities for battery assembly, battery metal manufacturing, BMS, IoT and spark technologies, charging and swapping infrastructure, financing, and so on. The technology is evolving rapidly, with various battery chemistries and hydrogen fuel cell technologies to power the EV sector. While the future is bright, green, and clean, additional research and collaborations are required to build a robust EV ecosystem in the country".

The conference also saw the announcement of prestigious awards to industry stalwarts leading the EV revolution in the country. Tata Nexon bagged the 'Best electric car of the year', while Ather 450X and Nexcharge were graced with 'Best electric bike' and 'Top EV battery manufacturer' titles respectively.

ABB India received the 'Best EV Charger manufacturer of the year', while TATA Autocomp bagged the 'Best Electric Vehicle component manufacturer' of the year awards. Finally, Ather Energy and Log9 Materials were awarded the 'Best EV startup' and 'Best EV tech company' titles respectively.

Commenting on the EV disruption, Sohinder Gill, Director General of SMEV, said that it is here to stay and can't be reversed or decelerated. "All of us are chiseling this future for generations to come. And what more can we have than the nation's objective of self-reliance and the crying need for global sustenance as a part of our business fabric".

"As we pursue our goals, let's not forget to Innovate India-specific solutions, collaborate with partners, contribute to category growth, communicate and educate, and compete in a fair and just manner", he added.