Iran war: Centre pushes auto sector to shift to EVs amid energy crunch

The centre has asked stakeholders in the to switch to electricity from , wherever possible, amid the due to the West Asia crisis.

The government has further urged that auto and parts makers optimise production schedules to minimise fuel consumption to the extent possible due to fears of shortage on back of disruption in supplies of oil and gas from the Gulf due to the conflict between US-Israel and Iran.

“In line with the Government’s ongoing efforts to enhance energy efficiency in the industrial sector in the wake of the prevailing West Asia/Middle East crisis, it is requested that the automotive industry may…Wherever technically feasible, a transition from oil-based fuels to electricity may be considered. Further, production schedules may be optimized to minimize idle and standby fuel consumption”, the Ministry of Heavy Industry (MHI) said in an advisory to industries bodies Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) dated March 25.

The MHI in its advisory also asked the automotive industry to use , wherever technically feasible.

The government has already prioritised use of gas for households over industries, which get only about 80% of their average needs.

The memo further added, “Automotive industry may be requested to explore the use of alternate materials such as HDPE, uPVC, UHSS, and GFRP composites in packaging and other non-critical aluminum applications. This is aimed at reducing demand pressure on aluminum during the current shortage period, without affecting end-product performance, wherever technically feasible.”