Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 26 inaugurated localised production of hybrid battery electrodes and flagged off Battery Electric Vehicle (EV) exports to 100 countries from Hansalpur in Ahmedabad and stated that India will become a hub of clean energy. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi emphasised India’s growing role in clean energy and electric mobility, while underlining the deepening partnership between India and Japan.
Highlighting India’s workforce and manufacturing potential, PM Modi said, “India has a demographic advantage, we have a skilled workforce. This makes it a win-win situation for any investment. Suzuki, Japan is manufacturing here and later cars are exported to Japan. This is the strength of Japan and India relations. “This also shows the trust of global firms in India. Companies like Maruti Suzuki are brand ambassadors of India. It is our biggest car exporter. From today, we began to scale EVs at the same level. From now on, EVs that will roll in various countries will have ‘Made in India’ written on it.”
He pointed out that India had long been dependent on imports for EV batteries, but the situation was now changing. “The most critical part of an EV is the battery. Earlier batteries were totally imported by India, but it was important to manufacture the battery in India and therefore we sowed the seeds of battery manufacturing in India. Three Japanese companies came together to manufacture battery cells and electrodes in India. This will give our mission new energy. This will boost the hybrid vehicle market of our nation.”