Amitabh Kant Urges India to Fully Embrace EVs

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has urged India to bypass hybrid technologies and commit fully to electric vehicles, framing the shift as a strategic economic decision. Speaking at the 3rd FICCI National Conference on Electric Vehicles, Kant warned that backing hybrid systems could lock India into outdated platforms for decades and slow technological progress.

“If the world has moved from typewriters to computers, India should not hold on to typewriters,” he said, describing EVs as the true transformational leap while hybrids offer only incremental upgrades.

EVs at the Core of Industrial Strategy

Kant highlighted the automotive sector as a key driver of manufacturing and employment. To achieve an eightfold GDP growth by 2047, he noted that manufacturing output must grow sixteen times, which is impossible without a strong EV ecosystem. The transition reshapes the automotive value chain, bringing batteries, power electronics, semiconductors, software, and charging infrastructure to the forefront of value creation.

India must evolve from being a vehicle assembler to a technology and advanced manufacturing hub. Kant stressed that partial measures will delay industrial leadership and reduce competitiveness on a global scale.

Two- and Three-Wheelers Lead Immediate Gains

India’s two- and three-wheeler segments are already expanding rapidly in electric mobility. Electrifying these vehicles at scale would reduce oil imports, cut household transportation costs, and improve air quality. Kant emphasized that financing access, quality standards, and clear government policies are critical to encourage investments from manufacturers and buyers.

Charging infrastructure, he added, should be treated as a public right, with faster approvals, standardized processes, and widespread deployment similar to telecom towers. He also called for time-bound electrification targets, gradual phasing out of internal combustion vehicles in polluted cities, and calibrated zero-emission mandates with compliance mechanisms for OEMs.

Kant concluded that EV adoption is not just about vehicles. It is about building the industries of the future, including battery processing, R&D, software, and recycling. India’s decisive action today will allow it to lead global electric mobility rather than follow it.