McKinsey & Co Unveils Roadmap for Scaling Sustainable Mobility in India

In a presentation at the 65th SIAM Annual Convention, Amit V. Gupta from McKinsey & Company outlined a multi-pronged strategy to propel India's sustainable mobility agenda, emphasising infrastructure, circularity, and targeted policy interventions.

Speaking during the special plenary session on "Key Enablers Driving Global Leadership in Sustainable Mobility" at the Taj Palace, Gupta highlighted actionable pathways to overcome barriers in electrification and shared transport systems.

McKinsey and Company provides strategic and operational consulting services to Indian automotive players, including major OEMs and suppliers, helping them navigate industry disruption, drive innovation, and improve profitability. Their work involves developing strategies for electric vehicle (EV) development, optimizing supply chains and manufacturing, enhancing customer experience, and leveraging digitalization and emerging technologies to stay competitive in India's rapidly evolving automotive market.

Gupta first addressed charging infrastructure, noting India's current public charging utilisation at a mere 2-3%, far below the economically viable 8-10%. He advocated a three-dimensional approach: defining a clear vision with a network roadmap, adopting demand-driven planning for appropriate charging options, and enhancing stakeholder interoperability for broader user access. To improve network strength, the industry must prioritise quality metrics, customer experience, and scalable site designs, Gupta emphasised, urging collaborative efforts to boost utilisation and support EV adoption.

Shifting to materials circularity, he called for expansion along two axes: developing a 'circular lighthouse vehicle' through design sprints for new projects, integrating end-to-end circularity perspectives across lifecycles, and building an ecosystem for end-of-life vehicle (ELV) collection and sorting.

This includes launching at-scale end-of-life recycling programmes and crafting playbooks for strategic business opportunities, aiming to reduce waste and promote recycled material usage in manufacturing.

Finally, Gupta proposed pursuing targeted policy and infrastructure interventions to scale shared mobility, projecting 1.8 trillion lesser vehicle kilometres by 2035 through transit-oriented development, as per Niti Aayog.

Key measures include easing bottlenecks with specific infrastructure, implementing unified booking and payment platforms, streamlining permits for high-occupancy vehicles, and adopting alternative powertrains to capture cost benefits. These steps, he argued, could transform urban transport, alleviating congestion and advancing decarbonisation.

The session, drawing senior government officials and industry leaders, aligns with SIAM's vision for Viksit Bharat 2047, amid a sector vital to India's 6.8% GDP contribution.