Claimed as the 'EV Capital of India', the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is rightly leveraging its robust automotive manufacturing and R&D ecosystem to strengthen its EV and battery manufacturing base with vibrant infrastructural development and revised EV policy, said Pooja Kulkarni IAS, Director, and CEO of Guidance Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu's capital region of Chennai is famously called as the 'Detroit of India' for hosting major automotive manufacturing and allied industries base to support a major share of vehicle manufacturing for both domestic and export markets. The region's strong infrastructure and vibrant MSME presence is seen as the backbone of the Tamil Nadu's hold in the Indian automotive ecosystem.
As a corollary to the state's automotive base, Tamil Nadu is also witnessing massive investments on the electric vehicle ecosystem in recent years. With the presence of over 40 EV companies including the prominent ones like Ola Electric, Ather, and the Lucas TVS's proposed 6 GWh battery cell manufacturing facility, among many others, the state is aiming to become the center of EV manufacturing in the country.
Speaking at the ETN Roundtable webinar titled 'Investment for Indian EV Acceleration', Pooja Kulkarni IAS, Director and CEO of Guidance Tamil Nadu – the state's nodal agency for investment promotion – said that Tamil Nadu is emerging as the preferred destination for EV and battery manufacturing and R&D investments in the country at present. "We are looking at a E2W manufacturing capacity of 10 million vehicles, 800-acres of 'Future Mobility Parks' at prime auto clusters in the state".
She added that the two of such EV-focused mobility parks are coming up near Chennai and Hosur respectively. "We are currently engaging with various stakeholders and allied industries to prepare skilled manpower resources and other value-added services like common testing and R&D facilities, so as to attract EV makers and suppliers".
Tamil Nadu is also coming up with a revised and comprehensive EV policy, which will be released in the coming months. "We were one of the first states to draft a dedicated EV policy in India three years ago, but since so much of water has flown under the bridge in recent times in terms of technological and market developments, we have realized that the policy has become obsolete", Kulkarni IAS said.
The focus of the upcoming revised policy is to cover all aspects of the EV ecosystem, with better incentive framework covering EV buyers, companies, and even charging infrastructure players, along with attention to battery manufacturing and cell chemistry aspects, she commented. The state is also one of the biggest market for EVs in the country, with a healthy share of 9.3 percent of total EV sales in 2021-22.
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