India to Leverage EV Scale Into Influence and Strategic Depth: Kumaraswamy

India wants to turn its rapidly expanding electric vehicle market into a source of global influence and strategic industrial depth, H D Kumaraswamy, Minister of Heavy Industries, said while speaking at the 5th Global Electric Mobility Summit organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Association.

“India's vision is clear to move from adoption to leadership, from participation to influence and from scale to strategic depth,” Kumaraswamy said.

He said India’s electric mobility transition has to move from intent to implementation, with EVs now positioned at the core of cleaner mobility, energy security and industrial transformation.

Over the past six years, India’s electric vehicle market has recorded a compound annual growth rate exceeding 60 percent, while EV registrations in 2025 approached 2 million units, reflecting the pace and scale of adoption.

Two-wheelers continue to be the primary driver of EV volumes, while electric passenger vehicles have crossed the milestone of 1 lakh units. At the same time, electric buses and commercial fleets are witnessing steady expansion across cities and states, pointing to a gradual but structural shift in public and shared transport.

Kumaraswamy highlighted that electrifying commercial vehicles deserves special focus as the segment contributes to more than 40 percent of transport-related pollution.

On infrastructure, he said the Ministry of Heavy Industries has earmarked Rs 2,000 crore under the PM E-drive scheme for setting up over 70,000 charging stations nationwide.

Manufacturing and localisation form the backbone of the government’s EV strategy. The PLI scheme for automobiles and auto components, with an outlay of Rs 25,938 crore, is aimed at deepening domestic value addition and enhancing global competitiveness.

Battery manufacturing is a central pillar of this effort. The PLI scheme for advanced chemistry cell batteries, with an outlay of Rs.18,000 crore, targets the creation of 50 GWh of domestic battery manufacturing capacity, reducing import dependence and strengthening long-term energy security.

The government has also approved the scheme with a budgetary outlay of Rs.7,288 crore to promote indigenous manufacturing of sintered rare-earth permanent magnets, critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines, defence-based systems and electronics.

Kumaraswamy said NITI Aayog views the EV transition as not only an environmental imperative but also a multi-million-dollar economic opportunity, with electric mobility expected to enable connected vehicles, data-driven fleet management, intelligent transport systems and new ownership models.

“Our electric mobility journey is about setting global benchmarks, building resilient industries and creating sustainable livelihoods for our youth,” he said.

With inputs from Ketan Thakkar