Taking the Make In India campaign a step ahead, the government has announced to bear up to 60% of the research and development (R&D) cost for developing indigenous low-cost electric technology. The aim is to reduce pollution and introduce electric mobility as an alternative instead of existing petrol and diesel based two, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles operating in public spaces. The project will be undertaken under the Technology Platform for Electric Mobility (TPEM) – a joint initiative of the departments of heavy industry (DHI) and science and technology (DST). The Government is inviting proposals in five areas, which will be undertaken as consortia projects involving multiple companies and academic institutions. As per reports, the five areas are lithium battery technology, motors and drives, charging infrastructure, drive cycle and traffic pattern, light-weighting of XEVs. The consortia projects in these areas will be eligible for grant-in aid funding which is usually up to 60% and the remaining amount is expected to be contributed by user-industry partners (vehicle and component manufacturers) in terms of resources, manpower, equipment and facilities. The consortia projects will be funded by the government from the corpus of Rs.14,000 crores set aside under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP).

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