With the government having given a clear signal to speed up e-mobility adoption, German auto component giant Continental believes the transition from combustion engines to e-mobility will pick up speed only between 2025 and 2030. In an interview, the company’s head of the powertrain business in India Anurag Garg tells this paper that the industry needs a clear roadmap as technologies continually need to be upgraded and more investment is required for the same. Excerpts:
How has this quick switch from BS-IV emission norms to BS-VI impacted you and the auto component industry?
With BS-VI effective from 2020, most automotive companies in India are already well prepared for this transformation and working towards to meet the strict emission norms. Continental, specifically, is well prepared for this move and has been working on it since 2016 in India. We have been supplying these technologies in Europe and other parts of the world. We have also been investing in localising manufacturing these technologies and are very well prepared to meet the requirements in the future.
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Has the slowdown in auto sales impacted your order book? Are the component manufacturers also feeling a pinch?
This is a challenging time for the whole industry, be it OEMs or suppliers, and this is not just the case in India. Globally, the automotive industry is going through a difficult phase. However, we are confident that the industry will bounce back. As for Continental’s Powertrain business, we have always been focused on responding to changing trends, business models and so on, and have been consistently investing in technology. Being future-ready is the way to tackle any temporary slowdown in the industry.
How ready is India for an electric vehicle revolution?
This has been a point of debate for quite some time now, but there isn’t going to be an ideal state of 100 per cent readiness. Continental firmly believes that electric mobility is the way forward for mobility. The transition from the combustion engine to e-mobility will massively pick up speed only between 2025 and 2030. Only sometime in between will the number of combustion engines attain their peak value worldwide and, from then on, will fall moderately. Governments, industries and all other stakeholders need to work together to create the right ecosystem for e-mobility.
We need a clear roadmap for e-mobility in India. Technologies continually need to be upgraded, and more investments are required for the same. One of the top priorities should be to set up an infrastructure to support electric mobility, for easy charging of electric vehicles. In India, we are certain that two-wheelers and three-wheelers will drive initial growth for electric.
What does Continental have to offer in the e-mobility space?
Continental is well equipped for the change in drive technologies. In addition to electrified, 48 Volt mild hybrid systems, full and plug-in hybrids and all-electric drive systems, we are focusing on the growing demand for highly efficient, low-emission technologies for internal combustion engines. Right now for India, we have the upcoming BS-VI legislations for which Continental is fully equipped with all the required technologies.