PM Modi gives another push to electric vehicle adoption

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) In another thrust to his electric vehicle (EV) dream, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the country needs to be 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) in its energy sector. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 75th Independence Day, Modi said that from solar energy and bio fuels to adoption to electric vehicles (EVs), the country needs to "reach the next level for energy independence". Modi's push for EVs came as the electric two-wheeler industry is facing scrutiny over battery explosions and fire incidents that has led to several government probes. In a recent webinar on 'Make in India for the World', the prime minister asked the industry to tap growing opportunities in areas like semiconductors and EVs. "Aatmanirbharta is all the more important if we see from the prism of national security. The private sector needs to be more 'vocal for local'," he emphasised, asking the industry to boost domestic manufacturing in the EV sector. In his recent meeting with Suzuki Motor Corporation's senior advisor Osamu Suzuki in Tokyo, Modi discussed investment opportunities in India, including setting up production facilities for electric vehicles and batteries. The prime minister has emphasised that by 2030, India's economy would cut the intensity of greenhouse gas emission by 45 per cent of what it was in 2005. NITI Aayog has forecast that by 2030, nearly 80 per cent of the two- and three-wheelers, 40 per cent of buses and 30-70 per cent of the cars will run on electricity. India's transition to the electric mobility system can save Rs 20 lakh crore by 2030 on oil imports alone.