New Delhi: The rapid adoption of Electric Vehicle (EV) technology, especially by the two and three-wheeler segments, is emerging as a mega trend and is establishing itself as the mainstream into the near future. The passenger and commercial vehicle players also have set their targets to transition to complete electrification in the mid to long-term both globally and in the domestic markets. It was in this background that the 8th edition of the two-day ‘ETAuto EV Conclave’ opened on November 29, 2023.The EV Conclave, organised by ETAuto at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi, showcased how the automotive industry is evolving to sustainable and eco-friendly mobility solutions. It acted as a catalyst for the industry to stay abreast of the current and evolving market conditions and explore potential avenues for growth and advancement.
The ETAuto EV Conclave brought some of the best minds from the domestic and global EV landscape together to discuss, debate and design a better, cleaner, safer and more sustainable future for the Indian automotive industry. It also provided a platform for networking and collaboration bringing together thought leaders and subject matter experts from EV OEMs, Startups, and the Future Mobility Ecosystem.
The participants got an excellent opportunity to learn from the experts, showcase the trends and strategies to drive a successful mobility transformation across the nation.
The Conclave began with an opening keynote interaction with Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto. It was followed by the releasing of a report by Ashim Sharma, Senior Partner & Group Head Business Performance Improvement Consulting (Auto, Engg. & Logistics) from Nomura Research Institute.
The two-day event had presentations and panel discussions by industry leaders. The following are some of the outstanding quotes from the speakers:
Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto, said, “Big players like us have missed the electric three-wheeler bus.”
Naveen Munjal, MD, Hero Electric, said, “The easiest electrification that can be done is of the two-wheelers.”
Diego Graffi, Chairman & MD, Piaggio Vehicle, said, “The level of skill, knowledge and capability in India is unmatched.”
Kausalya Nanda Kumar, COO, Mahindra Electric, said, “The consumer is now demanding global products, one of the ways to achieve that is by making Indian products that good.”
Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman, JBM Group, said, “India is at a stage where a lot of doors will open for it in the next few months.”
Tapan Sahoo, Executive Director – Engineering, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “ICE to EV transition is not just about the powertrain change, there is a requirement of new platforms and much more. It’s a challenge for the engineers.”
S J Dhinagar, SVP & Head – Vehicle Engineering, Ola Electric, said, “We will bring the end of the ICE age sooner than expected.”
Parminder Singh, Country Head, Autodesk’s Design & Manufacturing and Media and Entertainment Verticals in India & SAARC, said, “Design and Make in India is happening now, with the EV space. Globally, we will eventually be ahead of the curve.”
Sridhar Dharmarajan, EVP and MD, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence India, said, “The youngsters want their vehicles to be like gadgets, they want them to be easy-to-use, they want over-the-air-updates just like their smartphones.”
Garima Misra, MD, Group Landmark, said, “The price parity between ICE and EV is a dream right now. We will have to be cost sensitive until that happens.”
Vinkesh Gulati, Chairman, Research & Academy, FADA, said, “90% of dealers are indifferent to the concept of sustainability; only 10% of them understand sustainability.”
Praveen Nagpal, Executive Vice President, Kinetic Electric, said, “Today there are ample opportunities for dealers to sustain as there are many interested financers to fund.”
Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Heavy Industries, said, “Through the FAME II scheme, MHI has saved over 10 lakh liters of oil per day, the total oil saved is more than 3.1 crore litres. CO2 carbon emissions have been reduced by over 20.5 lakh kg per day. The total reduction in carbon emissions has been 6.28 crore kg.”
CV Raman, CTO, Maruti Suzuki India and President SAE India, said, “Evolution of conventional mobility and emergence of new mobility is essential to propel growth and bring disruption in mobility going forward.”
Jyoti Malhotra, MD, Volvo Cars India, said, “Indian consumers are not cost conscious but they are value conscious. EVs offer tremendous value.”
Matteo Boddi, Head of Supply Chain, Piaggio Vehicles, said, “India has a great EV ecosystem potential. There should be 100% clarity on technology and investment.”
Aravind Prasad, Head Charging Infrastructure, Ather Energy, said, “For charging infrastructure, OEMs need to understand that we compete on the products and not on the charging infra. There needs to be interoperability for charging, to inspire confidence in the consumer.”
Atul Arya, Head – Energy System Division, Panasonic Life Solutions India, said, “Swapping is an optimum option and a great solution as repetitive fast charging is not good for any battery.”
Srinivas Kantheti, Co-founder & MD, Bike Bazaar, said, “If very good financing is available, by 2030, 80% of last mile delivery vehicles will be electric.”
Watch the full coverage of the ‘ETAuto EV Conclave’ here:
https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/ev-conclave
