January 23, 2023
Plea For Solar-Powered EV Chargers, Too
Automobile bizmen present their wishlists to Nirmala Sitharaman
Mridu Mahendra Das, Co-founder & CEO of Automovill:
The impending recession and negative sentiments in the market has been a great concern for growth stage startups. Demands for higher margin and lean structure from stakeholders and investment ecosystem making startup journey tough for any charismatic results. This could be the time where Govt. could do best for boosting Startups, MSME sectors and entrepreneurs vying for growth post pandemic. We strongly support GST regime. At the same time, howeber, MSMEs/Startups also need flexibility of in filings. Working in B2B environments and long-standing contracts makes regulatory filings difficult, which needs more freedom in terms of time and options.
Coming to the automotive and specially aftersales segment, the entire sector is reeling under tremendous pressure against the availability of spares and low spending of consumers. For better customer satisfaction, we need support for facilitating the availability of imported spares, relaxation on rules by insurance companies and curbs on vehicular lifetime management.
Reducing the GST norms for billing on labour specially in After sales ecosystem is always a demand. Labour rates should be at 5% GST like the service charges in some other industries (such as hotels). Most of the auto workers lies in the bottom of the pyramid, reducing GST on labour to 5% will boost the income and livelihood opportunities as well as can create more entrepreneurs in the segment.
Muzammil Riyaz, Founder, EVeium Smart Mobility:
The Indian government has launched policies and measures to incentivise the EV industry, but the same can only be leveraged when a parallel charging infrastructure is developed. While we are encouraging people to opt for EVs through subsidies and incentivization, in the end, only a hassle-free experience can sustain the trust of the consumers. We expect the government to accelerate the same by allocating budgets to ramp up EV architecture that is competent, connected, and sustainable. Moreover, there is an immediate requirement to spread awareness about the auto scrappage policy in order to spur the phasing out of end-of-life vehicles, which can assist steer EV purchases even further.”
Anmol Bohre, Co-founder & Managing Director of Enigma: The proliferation of electric vehicles exemplifies their growing popularity, as indicated by previous sales figures and the visibility of the number of EV vehicles on the roads. What’s more encouraging is that electric two-wheelers are paving the way for the greater adoption of electric vehicles in India. The government must prioritise research over sales if India is to become a world leader in this technology. Incentives should be allocated for collaborations with universities to advance the R&D of EV technology.
Recent controversies involving the alleged misappropriation of funds under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) Electric Vehicles (FAME) subsidy program, highlight the need for careful consideration of the long-term consequences of such incentives.
It would, therefore, be beneficial to allocate the FAME subsidies directly to customers’ accounts. As the growth of the EV industry depends on charging infrastructure, designated funds for the development of charging stations along major roads, both national and state is required. In this regard financial provisions to establish solar-powered charging stations in collaboration with the government to achieve zero-emission capabilities for electric vehicles is highly desirable.
