Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pitched for investments in electric vehicles across the value chain from batteries to smart charging as he unveiled a mobility road map with common public transport as the cornerstone, saying better mobility can boost growth.
“Congestion-free mobility is critical to check the economic and environmental costs of congestion,” he said addressing the Global Mobility Summit ‘MOVE’ here.
Stating that common public transport must be the cornerstone of mobility initiatives, he said focus must go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters and rickshaws. “Clean mobility powered by clean energy is our most powerful weapon in our fight against climate change.”
With CEOs of global auto majors in attendance, Modi said the government is keen on “investments across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing”.
The government is targeting electric vehicles to account for 15 per cent of all vehicles sales in five years in a bid to curb greenhouse gas emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. An estimated 2,000 EVs were sold last year.
“My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs — Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion-free, Charged, Clean and Cutting edge,” he said.
Stressing the need to widely use common public transport to drive mobility initiatives, the Prime Minister said that focus must also go beyond cars to other vehicles.
“We must leverage the full potential for vehicle pooling to improve private vehicle utilisation,” he said. “Convenient mobility means safe, affordable and accessible for all sections of the society.”
He said it must be ensured that public transport is preferred to private modes of travel as it would result in fewer traffic jams and lower levels of stress for commuters.
“We should champion the idea of ‘clean kilometers’,” he said adding Indian entrepreneurs and manufacturers are now poised to develop and deploy break-through battery technology that would mean a pollution-free clean drive, leading to clean air and better living standards for people.