Don’t Lock Into Hybrids; Commit to EVs, Says Amitabh Kant

As India weighs its mobility future, Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, said the country must avoid locking itself into hybrid technologies and instead commit decisively to electric vehicles, framing the EV transition as a strategic economic choice rather than merely a climate response.

Speaking at the 3rd FICCI National Conference on Electric Vehicles, Kant warned that backing intermediate technologies such as hybrids could slow India’s technological leap and risk locking the country into legacy platforms for the next 25 to 30 years. “If the world has moved from typewriters to computers, India should not hold on to typewriters,” he said, comparing internal combustion engines to outdated machines and hybrids to incremental upgrades, while describing EVs as the true transformational shift.

EVs Central to India’s Industrial Strategy

Kant argued that the automobile sector is the driver of manufacturing in India and critical for job creation. If India’s GDP must grow eightfold on its path to becoming a developed nation, manufacturing would need to grow sixteen times, and that scale cannot be achieved without a strong mobility sector.

Electric mobility, he said, must be a central pillar of Viksit Bharat 2047. The EV transition represents a once-in-a-century restructuring of the automotive value chain, where batteries, power electronics, semiconductors, software and charging infrastructure become the new engines of value creation.

India must move from being largely an assembler to becoming a technology and advanced manufacturing hub. Half measures, he cautioned, will hold the country back.

Two- and Three-Wheelers Offer Immediate Gains

India is already among the fastest-growing EV markets globally, with two- and three-wheelers leading the transition. Electrifying these segments at scale would reduce oil imports, improve air quality and lower household mobility costs.

However, Kant stressed that financing must reach buyers, safety and quality must remain non-negotiable, and the government must provide a clear transition roadmap so that industry can invest with confidence. This decade, he said, cannot be one of hesitation.

India imports over 85 percent of its crude oil, and electrification reduces exposure to volatile global energy markets. EV adoption also aligns with renewable energy expansion and is indispensable if India is to meet its net-zero commitment by 2070 and its energy efficiency goals for 2030.

Policy Certainty and Infrastructure 

Charging infrastructure, Kant said, must be treated as a public right. Approvals need to be faster, processes standardised and public-private partnerships strengthened. Chargers must become as ubiquitous as telecom towers if EV adoption is to scale.

He called for time-bound electrification targets, regular public monitoring, and the gradual phasing down of internal combustion vehicles in high-pollution cities. CAFE norms, he argued, must be aligned with future technologies and not built around legacy systems. He also suggested calibrated zero-emission mandates and credit trading mechanisms among OEMs to drive compliance.

If India delays its shift, he warned, it risks becoming a dumping ground for outdated ICE or hybrid technologies while global supply chains pivot decisively to electric platforms.

Beyond vehicle assembly, Kant emphasised the importance of mastering processing technologies for critical minerals. He observed that while some countries sell batteries at competitive prices, they retain control over high-value processing know-how.

India must build domestic capabilities in cathode, anode and critical mineral processing and move up the value chain rather than remain dependent. The EV transition, he said, is about building the industries of the future across manufacturing, R&D, software, digital services and recycling.

“This is a defining moment,” Kant said, urging policymakers and industry to move faster and think bigger. He added that if India acts decisively now, it will not merely adopt electric mobility but define it for the world.