India offers the world’s largest untapped EV market, especially in the two-wheeler segment. With several automakers rolling out EV vehicles at a rapid pace, the penetration of these vehicles has increased significantly in the past few years. As per a recent study, electric vehicles (EVs) market is expected to be worth around at least ₹475 billion by 2025. The penetration of electric two-wheelers is projected to reach up to 15% by 2025 from 1% currently.
As business activities gain pace and the Indian economy rebounds its way in 2022, the auto industry is set to enter a new phase of growth, innovation and investment. However, the road to the future of EV is battling various challenges. While the government is aggressively promoting EV adoption in India, the inadequate infrastructure, lack of high performing EVs and high upfront cost is causing a major hindrance for its mass adoption.
Capital cost has always been a major factor in the EV purchase decision, with 63% of consumers believing that an EV is beyond their budget. The lack of adequate charging infrastructure in our country is a huge barrier to increased EV penetration. Compared to traditional petrol stations, charging stations are harder to find, normally limited by investment costs and difficult infrastructure development enabling people to charge where they usually park, at home or at work, which presents its own challenges, such as dealing with multi-tenant buildings, grid-connection management, and charging slot availability. It is anticipated that there will be a shortage of nickel, and scaling up lithium production would be a challenge, leading to supply shortage that may cause manufacturers to use lower-quality mineral inputs, adversely affecting battery performance.
