ARAI Gets Rs 80 Crore To Set Up EV Evaluation Centre

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has plans in place to set up an evaluation centre for electric vehicles. ARAI director Rashmi Urdhwareshe made the announcement while speaking at a conference held at the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT). The association tests all types of vehicles before they go on sale in India and, with the flow of more advanced electric cars expected to increase in the next five years, the ARAI's plans come at a very opportune time.

To set up the facility at its campus in Pune, the central government has allotted Rs 80 crore to the ARAI. The move is a part of the government's efforts to promote electric and hybrid cars, under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. According to the report by Autocar Professional, a team from the association has already set up offline simulators for zero-emission cars and hybrids.

"Electric mobility is identified as a key RD initiative, especially light-weighting of materials which are used in buses. So not only the electric side of it but comprehensive vehicle design changes is what we are working on. So we are looking at it with a real long-term direction for the mobility solutions," said Urdhwareshe. "Creating a simulation environment for fast development is also our focus area," she added.

While the testing facility will help fast-track the approval of low to no emission automobiles, the administration has also shown interest in employing electric cars in government-owned fleets. EVs/hybrids still occupy a negligible share of the Indian automobile industry, with most of the progress being seen in the commercial vehicle space. However, with manufacturers like Mahindra planning to expand their EV range and Tesla considering production in India, electric vehicle testing facilities will play a key role in the expansion of India's zero-emission car footprint.