Minister Piyush Goyal visits Tesla’s California factory | Mulls duty cut on imported EVs

Nexon EV Max is a good car to buy and if you get a discount that is better but one complaint that I have about Nexon EV is the overall ergonomics of the cabin. So I am excited to see what the Punch EV brings to the table.

When I was on the hunt for a car roughly 1 year ago, I decided on Punch MT because of the overall ergonomics of the cabin. It is another matter that I cancelled it in favour of the Nexon EV but Punch as a car definitely is good. 90-degree opening doors are something that is really good to have especially if you have senior citizens with you. Plus I think the styling is also great.

No sir I am looking forward to buy the face lifted Nexon.EV not the earlier Nexon EV. We felt ergonomics of new Nexon to be fine if not great.
Not looking forward for Punch EV. Since it is smaller car and we as a family do not like its design. Just wanted to know about other upcoming options from a different manufacturer in sub 25 lakhs segment

Once the JSW deal completes, I would expect the MG4 to be launched in India.

If you are looking for an EV to do road trips, I would suggest to wait because the Nexon EVs slow charge speed is a major downer.

Last time i went to Connaught Place in Delhi, i saw there were two chargers in the parking lot, both of them were broken and non functional. i checked the status for those chargers on the internet, it was showing as unknown(means it is not confirmed whether you would find it working or not). Thats the status in the heart of the capital.

How would you confirm that a charger will be available in working condition on a highway? EV cars simply dont make sense yet in India.

In the app provided by the charge point operator (CPO), if it shows available, then there is very high chance of it being in working condition. It is a different matter that once you go there, some other car might have just started charging or there can be a power cut (and no generator backup).

When planning the route with Plug Share, we pick chargers where there are back up chargers within say 20 to 40 kms. Most popular routes have multiple chargers clustered together. For e.g. on Bangalore to Chennai route, there are a bunch (>6) of chargers at 40-80 kms near Hosur/Krishnagiri, then another bunch mid way between 140 to 200 km and few as you near Chennai.

Highway travel on EVs in India is not hassle free yet, but at the same time it is not something so difficult that it is senseless. We see plenty of Tiago and Nexon EVs doing it and it only gets better with the higher range EVs.

That is great, and I hope you have a continued trouble free experience. However, like is the case with DQ200 of VW, the issues are too many to be ignored.

As it stands, the vehicles from Tata/Mahindra are bought with the expectations of having niggles, I do not see any reason to shield them by putting in duties or trade restrictions.

Without these restrictions, it is the final consumer who would benefit by having a larger pool of brands to choose from.

I don't think it makes much sense to discuss about the pros and cons of the policy without knowing details of the concession rate and whether there is any lower limit to qualify for the concession etc. If the policy is mostly directed to attract Tesla, I believe they will ensure that only cars beyond certain price qualify, thereby tackling cheaper chinese imports.

Indian carmakers up in arms against duty cuts on high-end EVs for Tesla & co.

Companies like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have strongly opposed relaxed duties, as this could jeopardize their sales and business prospects after making significant investments.

SIAM will collectively take the opinion of all car manufacturers' while presenting its case to the govt.


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Tesla and Govt. of India close in on an agreement

Tesla Inc. and the Indian government are close to finalizing an agreement that would enable the US-based EV maker to import its electric cars into the country from next year.



According to a media report, an official announcement could be made during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in January.

Tesla is also looking to set up a factory within the next 2 years. The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are said to be under consideration as they already have well-established EV ecosystems and export infrastructure.

The report also states that Tesla could commit to an initial investment of around US$2 billion. The company would also increase the purchase of auto parts from India to around US$ 15 billion. The carmaker could also manufacture batteries locally to bring down costs.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, was on a visit to the US to participate in regional trade meetings and to woo investments from EV markers. Reports also suggest that the government could offer tax cuts on imports of completely built units (CBU) of electric vehicles for a period of up to 5 years.

Goyal also visited Tesla’s manufacturing facility in Fremont, California.

Source: ET Auto

Link to Team-BHP News

Apart from the usual points discussed, the entry of Tesla will greatly help with the following:

1. Improve the EV models available sub 50L. We have a dearth of EV options in this price bucket.

2. Start the build-out of the Tesla Supercharger network. Globally the supercharger network is 10 years ahead of the competition in terms of cost, locations, number of chargers, and reliability. The supercharger network should mostly be open to all EVs as in Europe and now in the USA.

3. Create more buzz around EVs resulting in more awareness, this will be India's first EV-only brand, and given the number of celebs who have gone out of their way to import Tesla's, I am sure we will see a lot of traction at the high end of the market.

4. Strengthening EV supply chains domestically. Hopefully we are not too late to catch up to the EV manufacturing trend unlike during the start of the ICE revolution

Why do we need Tesla or Vinfast - Local automakers questions as the govt toys with sops for luring them to India.

A senior executive at one large OEM said that the government appeared “very keen"
to get global EV companies to manufacture in India and the industry would be drafting a representation seeking a level playing field.

Among the concessions the government is believed to be considering for these OEM's is said to be a time-bound approval for import of some critical EV components like batteries, semi-conductors, etc. or EVs, batteries account for nearly 40% of the vehicles’ cost.

Ironically batteries are likely to be imported from China.

There is just hype about Tesla.
Domestic OEMs are hoping to get a level playing field so that further investment in the EV ecosystem keep coming in. Is the government listening?

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I think Tesla should sort out autopilot in the other countries before coming to India. With all the problems outside of India, and with the terrible drivers here, it will only be a matter of time before problems raise their ugly heads. We also need them to rapidly expand their Supercharger network and (maybe) create a low-cost model that still has that Tesla appeal,

Apart from those major concerns, I'm very excited about this development. Looking forward to their entry.