India Plans Battery PLI to Boost EV Adoption

18 Oct 2023 CW Team

The Indian government is actively developing a new Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program for batteries, aimed at reducing storage costs and promoting the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh, emphasised the inevitability of an electric future and the importance of decreasing storage costs. He noted that once storage costs come down, traditional diesel and petrol SUVs will become obsolete.

During the launch of an EV dashboard created by the OMI Foundation, Singh highlighted that pricing is a major obstacle to EV adoption, primarily due to high storage costs. To address this issue, he announced the government's plan to introduce another PLI program to boost manufacturing capacity and production volumes, ultimately leading to cost reduction.

Additionally, Singh discussed the challenge posed by the concentration of lithium resources in a few countries. He emphasised the need to diversify into alternative chemistries, like sodium-ion batteries, to secure the EV supply chain.

In a positive development, EV sales in India surged to 371,214 units in the third quarter of 2023, marking a 40 per cent year-over-year increase from the 264,781 units sold in the same period the previous year.

The government's commitment to promoting EVs is underscored by a recent recommendation from a parliamentary committee to extend the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) Phase II initiative until 2027. The goal is to make EVs more affordable in India, given that electric vehicles remain relatively costly. The committee pointed out the need for continued subsidies to encourage EV adoption, especially for electric two-wheelers, in light of FAME-II's original target of supporting 1,562,090 vehicles over five years not being met.

Infrastructure Urban

06 Jul 2026

ABS Marine Sees CRISIL Credit Rating Upgrade

ABS Marine Services has secured an upgrade to its long term and short term credit ratings from CRISIL, reflecting improved profitability and revenue growth through long term contracts. CRISIL moved the long term rating from BBB+/Stable to A-/Stable and revised the short term rating from A2 to A2+. The action signals strengthened financial metrics and operational resilience. The company benefited from durable client relationships with firms such as ONGC and Schlumberger. The rating decision followed stronger cash flows and an enlarged bank loan facility, which increased from Rs 3,705 million (m..

Project BRAHMANK Marks 16 Years Of Strategic Roads In Arunachal

Project BRAHMANK is marking 16 years of work to establish strategic road and bridge links across Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining and developing 811 kilometres of roads and nearly 86 bridges that range from small culverts to large steel and arch bridges. These transport links are described as critical for ensuring year-round movement of defence personnel, equipment and essential supplies while improving everyday travel for people in remote villages. The project balances national security requirements with regional development by focusing on reliable access in challenging terrain. Notable enginee..

Longleng CSOs Give One Week Ultimatum Over Two-Lane Highway

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Longleng district have demanded immediate restoration of the deteriorating Changtongya–Longleng two-lane road and sought a detailed status report on the stalled construction within one week. The demand followed a consultative meeting convened under the Phom Peoples' Council (PPC) to discuss welfare and development concerns. PPC president YB Angam Phom said prolonged non-maintenance had caused hardship to commuters and affected transportation, local commerce and the district's development. The meeting urged authorities to undertake immediate restoration a..