NEW DELHI: If one thing came out of Nissan’s global conference in Tokyo, it was the fact that India seems to be at the centre of its future plans for electric mobility. Numerous reports quoted top Nissan officials confirming that it has already started testing its crucial e-Power technology in India, Indonesia and Thailand.
Along with Tata Motors’ tests of an electric Nano in Coimbatore and the flurry of charging infrastructure deals cropping up in India, the signs are all there that the Indian auto market is poised to see significant traction in EV launches soon.
“We are conducting some tests in India for the e-Power. India and Indonesia are two big countries where we are doing the tests while some are also being done in Thailand,” Daniele Schillaci, vice-president of global sales and marketing, was quoted as saying. Sources told Express that Nissan is seriously considering introducing its prime EV product — Nissan Leaf — in the Indian market. Possibly, even by the end of the financial year.
Driving the push by firms for electric mobility is India’s stated mission to convert the Indian market into a completely electric one by 2030. Ambitious though it may seem, analysts say that a significant portion of the goal can be achieved by the timeframe if the support infrastructure is in place, since battery and electric powertrain technology is on track to achieve the level of efficiencies and performance provided by fossil fuel engines.
The critical need for support infrastructure is already driving deals in the segment. For example, ABB — a global charging infrastructure builder, has already committed to setting up 4,500 charging stations across India. Another deal will see Finnish firm Fortum and state-owned NBCC India collaborate to set up around 150 charging stations across the country within a year.