PM launches Maruti Suzuki’s first made-in-India EV

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Maruti Suzuki’s e-Vitara, the company’s first battery electric vehicle manufactured in India, at Hansalpur, Gujarat. The model will be exported to 100 countries, positioning India as Suzuki’s global hub for electric mobility exports.

At the same event, the Prime Minister announced the start of hybrid battery electrode manufacturing in the country. Under the TDSG initiative, Toshiba, Denso, and Suzuki will jointly produce battery cells in India, alongside domestic production of battery cell electrodes.

By February 2025, India had registered 56.75 lakh electric vehicles, indicating a steady rise in adoption. The government has rolled out a series of schemes to expand the EV ecosystem, covering manufacturing, infrastructure, and large-scale deployment.

The FAME India programme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) has been implemented in two phases. FAME I supported over 2.55 lakh EVs and the installation of charging infrastructure between 2015 and 2019. FAME II, launched in 2019 with a budget of ₹11,500 crore, has backed over 16 lakh vehicles as of June 2025, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, electric cars, and buses. To support charging infrastructure, ₹912.50 crore has been sanctioned for 9,332 public charging stations, with 8,885 installed by June 2025.

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the automobile and auto component sector, launched in 2021, has attracted ₹29,576 crore in investment and created nearly 45,000 jobs. The PLI programme for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery storage, with an outlay of ₹18,100 crore, aims to establish 50 GWh of battery capacity. By February 2025, 40 GWh had been awarded under this scheme.

Other key measures include the PM E-Drive scheme, approved in 2024 with an allocation of ₹10,900 crore, which incentivises the adoption of e-two-wheelers, e-three-wheelers, trucks, ambulances, and buses. As of July 2025, the scheme has supported more than 28 lakh vehicles, including over 14,000 electric buses.

The PM e-Bus Sewa scheme, launched in August 2023 with a ₹20,000 crore budget, is supporting deployment of 10,000 e-buses under a public-private partnership model. By August 2025, 7,293 buses had been approved across 14 states and 4 union territories. A parallel payment security mechanism worth ₹3,435.33 crore was approved in October 2024 to reduce operational risks for bus operators.

In March 2024, the government introduced the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India (SPMEPCI). Applicants are required to invest at least ₹4,150 crore, achieve phased domestic value addition, and may import a limited number of built-in electric cars at reduced customs duty. The scheme is open for applications until October 2025.

Alongside these measures, the government has launched the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI), developed by NITI Aayog in August 2025, to track state-level progress in electrification across transport, charging readiness, and research. Delhi, Maharashtra, and Chandigarh have emerged as frontrunners.

India aims to achieve 30 per cent EV penetration by 2030, aligned with the global EV30@30 initiative. The government has also set targets to reduce projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, cut the carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent, and reach net-zero emissions by 2070.