Manufacture Tesla in India: Gadkari to Elon Musk

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday urged Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk to come to India and start manufacturing the company's electric cars in the country.

"We have got all the competency. The vendors are available. We have got all types of technologies. Because of that he can reduce the costs. But our request to him is come to India, start manufacturing here," says Gadkari while addressing the 'The Raisina Dialogue 2022' organised by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"India is a huge market. He can make exports from India. He is welcome in India... But suppose you want to manufacture in China and sell in India, it cannot be a good proposition for India," Gadkari adds.

Gadkari further says that his suggestion to Elon Musk is that in India he will get a good market which is very huge. "It is a win-win situation for both," he says.

With a good number of auto parts manufacturers available in the country, it will be easy for Musk to make in India and sell in India, Gadkari says, adding that the company can make good profits here.

The demand for EVs has increased significantly, Gadkari says, adding that all good Indian brands are making electric cars and SUVs. "I just took the trial of all the SUVs from Mercedes, BMW, Toyota and Hyundai. They are doing an excellent job."

Commenting on recent incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire across the country, Gadkari says when the temperature rises, there are problems with battery cells. "We have already appointed an expert committee. There are scientists from DRDO. We will get the reports. I feel that it is a problem of high temperature. We have decided to make standardised rules and regulations," he says.

"These are unfortunate accidents. We do not want to create complications for the industry but safety is the highest priority for the government," he adds. "If some manufacturing problem is there. My request to companies is to take back their products and take preventive measures for the safety of the people. They should find out the problems. We don't want to create an obstacle for e-vehicles."

The transport minister had last week urged electric vehicle makers to voluntarily recall all defective EVs after several incidents of battery fires leading to loss of life and property came to light.

Okinawa Autotech, the second-largest e-scooter retailer in the country, announced a voluntary recall of 3,215 units of Praise Pro scooters to fix any issue related to batteries with immediate effect. Ola Electric too announced a recall of 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers.