Piyush Goyal Pushes For Dual EV Infrastructure Development Strategy In India

Recently at a press conference, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal asked key players from the automotive and battery sectors to push for parallel development of both battery swapping and charging facilities to boost electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the country. The minister was addressing a conference that was jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). 

Piyush Goyal proposed to equip all existing fuel stations, including petrol pumps and CNG stations, with both charging and battery swapping facilities. This approach, he suggested, would help prevent vandalism while ensuring widespread access to EV infrastructure. Additionally, the importance of collaboration between various government departments, including the ministries of Heavy Industry, Power, Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Housing & Urban Affairs, to successfully implement the battery swapping infrastructure was also discussed during this press conference. 

Industry experts at the meeting also revealed that the battery swapping sector is expected to reach $20 billion in valuation by 2030. This boom in the economy will be primarily driven by numerous technological developments, including robots that can replace batteries in just under two minutes. At the same time, experts also noted that this development should not be half baked, and fixed-battery EV manufacturers should also be given equal emphasis, when it comes to subsidies and incentives. 

Some of the major companies that were represented at the meeting included Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies, SUN Mobility, TVS Motor Company, Ather Energy, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Hero MotoCorp, and Bajaj Auto. All of these manufacturers also touched upon safety concerns that were one of the key topics of discussion. In fact, stakeholders called for clear standards from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and improved accountability measures when it came to battery safety. 

To underline the above initiatives, Piyush Goyal concluded how this infrastructural development should be “a people’s movement”. Which in turn will help EVs be more easily accessible for all.