Global MOVE Summit 2018 – Highlights, Policy Announcements, Insights, Investments…

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The MOVE Global Mobility Summit on Sept 7th & 8th had 2200 participants including government, industry, research organization & academia around the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugrated the Event on sept 7^th 2018. The summit covered Core conclave, digital exhibition, mobility week with featured events and a variety of stakeholder consultations.

Policy

• Mobility in India is based on Seven C’s: Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion free, Charged, Clean & Cutting edge
• PM Modi did not make any policy announcements but unveiled a mobility roadmap that seeks investment in manufacturing electric vehicles & fast charging
• He has confirmed that the govt of India is working on stable electric vehicle policy soon. The PM did not mention the timeline as to when the formal policy on EVs will be ready and put into action
• The policy will focus on the vehicle which runs on alternative fuel along with electric vehicle. And also encourage the vehicles & component manufacturers to increase the production and sales of the vehicles which run on electricity & alternative fuels such as biodiesel, CNG, Methanol etc
• Govt announces 5500 crore towards EVs and charging infrastructure during the implementation of FAME II scheme.

Perspective

• India’s strength lay in IT, big data, digital payment & internet enabled shared economy. These elements are increasingly becoming the drivers of the global future of mobility
• It (mobility) can create employment opportunity & also create immense opportunity for innovation & growth for the new entrepreneur
• Asserting that mobility powered by clean energy is the most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change, he said focus must go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters & rickshaws
• Common public transport must be the cornerstone of the mobility initiative

Investments

• The govt is keen on Investment across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing
• Industry players including Suzuki & SAIC motors appealed to the govt to come up with incentive policies & accelerate construction of infrastructure such as charging facility
• Leading car makers such as Maruti Suzuki, Toyota & global auto component leader Bosch have urged govt to consider hybrid and alternative powertrain for incentives
• Several car makers had to recalibrate their rollout plans for hybrid after govt removed the hybrid vehicle from the first phase of its FAME incentive policy
• Although there would be a 100% exemption for alternative fuel vehicle, hybrid & mild hybrid vehicle will remain out of the purview
• Govt ruled out in giving any additional incentives on the vehicle for personal use, saying there is already a GST benefit extended on the same. GST for EV -12%
• Companies like Maruti Suzuki India & Mahindra & Mahindra offer mild & micro hybrid, which won’t get any subsidy right now

 Sales

• The govt is targeting EV to account for 15 % of all vehicle sales in five years in a bid to curb greenhouse gases & reduce dependency on fossil fuels
• Suzuki alliance partner & leader hybrid technology Toyota believes that hybrid vehicles can deliver over 25-45% in fuel efficiency & help in reducing not only air pollution but also fuel imports

Manufacturing

• The New policy will seek to support automakers to raise production of battery-powered & alternative fuel vehicles, as part of efforts to trim down the rising oil import bill
• Denso, a Toyota company, Suzuki along with Toshiba will be commencing production of the lithium-ion battery for the automobile at its battery plant in Gujarat in 2020 which will serve both electric & hybrid vehicle options. The world’s largest automotive component maker, Bosch assured that despite push on electrification, the internal combustion engines will continue to play a critical role

Renewable Energy & Emobility

• India plans to draw 175 GW of  energy from renewable sources, which can benefit electric mobility by 2022

Permits

• The govt is ready to give all necessary regulatory clearances to investors, to run public transport buses on electricity or alternative fuels
• EV & vehicle that runs on alternative fuels (including CNG & ethanol) will no more require permits to ply on road. Bio CNG is under consideration – Timelines for implementation will be around three months
• Green license plate on EVs gets numbers in white fonts for private cars & yellow font for cabs and commercial vehicle segment
• Permits is an instrument issued by a state or regional transport authority, authorizing the use of a vehicle, as per provisions of Motor Vehicle Act. All electric vehicles in India including auto, rickshaws, cabs & buses can run permit free
• Various permits required by commercial vehicles include contract carriage buses permit, good carriers and cabs permits among others

Other Announcements

• ABB showcased Terra HP fast charging system at MOVE Global summit
• Modi urged people to use public transport rather than private cars to help achieve the goal of congestion-free mobility in India
• In MOVE summit the chairman of Suzuki Motors Corporation suggested promoting CNG & hybrid vehicles along with EV
• Nissan Motors, Maruti Suzuki & Hyundai Motors have announced to enter the Indian EV mass market