It was just last week that we told you about the Government's plans to order taxi aggregators like Uber and Ola to convert 40% of their fleet of cars to electric by April 2026. Granted that EV sales in India grew three-fold to 3,600 units in the year ended March but it still accounts for about 0.1 per cent of the 3.3 million diesel and gasoline cars sold in the country over the period. This move by the government could certainly rake in sales but the question remains whether carmakers in India are ready with their EV strategy.
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Speaking to carandbike, S.S. Kim, MD, Hyundai Motor India said, "I'm not sure, the Indian government's plan is officially announced or (not). Electrification is a step in the right direction, but OEMs need time to prepare for it. If true, the decision (would) appear hasty. More clarity is needed for long term policy framework for right implementation,"
The Hyundai Venue was the company's first connected car for India
Hyundai Motor India, however, is already gearing up with its electrification strategy. According to Hyundai's new strategy, the company's smart mobility solution is based on three pillars - shared mobility, connected mobility and clean mobility. With Shared Mobility, the Korean automaker will be investing in car sharing and ride-hailing services going forward. The automaker along with its sister concern Kia has already invested in $300 million in Ola.
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Similarly, the Connected Mobility initiative aims to create a connected car program where an individual's cars will be connected to other cars as well as their office and other connected devices.
Hyundai has also said it plans to achieve clean mobility in the future and is prepared to introduce electric vehicles (HEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in the future. The manufacturer has already confirmed plans to launch the Hyundai Kona EV in India later this year, which will be locally assembled to keep the costs in check.
