PM Modi bats for clean energy, eco-friendly transport

New Delhi: Pitching for clean energy and environment-friendly transport technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for greater investments in manufacturing of electric vehicles and smart charging facilities.

Asserting that mobility powered by clean energy is the most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change, he said the focus must go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters and rickshaws. “Congestion-free mobility is critical to check the economic and environmental costs of congestion,” he said, addressing the first Global Mobility Summit ‘MOVE’, organised by government think tank Niti Aayog.

The NDA government has been aggressively batting for usage of electric vehicles; however, affordability of batteries and lack of charging infrastructure in the country are major challenges that it will face before moving any further in this direction.

Noting that mobility is a key driver of the economy, Mr Modi said better mobility reduces the burden of travel and transportation and can boost economic growth. “It is already a major employer and can create the next generation of jobs,” Mr Modi said.

Common public transport must be the cornerstone of mobility initiatives, the Prime Minister said, adding that clean mobility powered by clean energy is “our most powerful weapon in our fight against climate change.”

With CEOs of global automobile giants in attendance, he said that the government is keen on “investments across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing.”

The government is targeting electric vehicles to account for 15 per cent of all vehicles sales in five years in a bid to curb greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. An estimated 2,000 electric vehicles were sold last year.

“My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs — Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion-free, Charged, Clean and Cutting Edge,” he said.

While stressing on the need to widely use common public transport to drive mobility initiatives, the Prime Minister said the focus must also go beyond cars to other vehicles.

It must be ensured that public transport is preferred to private modes of travel as it would result in fewer traffic jams and lower levels of stress for commuters, Mr Modi said.

According to him, Indian entrepreneurs and manufacturers are now poised to develop and deploy break-through battery technology that would mean a pollution-free clean drive, leading to clean air and better living standards for people.

“Charged mobility is the way forward,” he said. Connected mobility implies integration of geographies as well as modes of transport. The Internet-enabled connected sharing economy is emerging as the fulcrum of mobility, the Prime Minister emphasised.