Pune: Centre Supporting E-Mobility, Green Energy Initiatives: Mahendra Nath Pandey
Pune, 20th January 2023: Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey has said ‘the Narendra Modi-led Union government was supporting initiatives of E-Mobility and green energy while stressing that the target for Ethanol blending was achieved before the deadline’.
The Minister was speaking after launching the 100 kW DC Fast Charger, which has been designed and development by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) at the Courtyard Marriott in Chakan on Thursday (January 19th) in presence of Dr.Hanif Qureshi, Joint Secretary, Heavy Industries Ministry, ARAI Director Dr Reji Mathai, ARAI President Rajendra Petkar, ARAI Senior Deputy Director Mr Nitin Dhande among others.
On the occasion, there was an exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ARAI and ARAI-Advance Mobility Transformation & Innovation Foundation (ARAI-AMTIF) while ARAI-AMTIF entered into MoUs with 10 different start-ups / MSMEs. The Ministry of Heavy Industries through its ‘Capital Goods Scheme’ has supported this initiative of Industry Accelerator.
“Our government is supporting e-mobility and green energy initiatives. The 20 percent of Ethanol blending has also been achieved much before time. I am also pleased that my Ministry is working on Methanol and when there is a requirement our department will be ready for implementing Methanol in suitable applications. We are working in this direction,” Pandey said.
The Minister also praised various initiatives taken by the Centre, including those for promoting start-ups and employment generation and said that the youth have also responded positively.
“The Prime Minister has a vision that the country’s youth should become job-givers instead of being job-seekers and the MOU’s signed today are a step in the same direction,” he said.
The Union Minister also laid the e-foundation stone of ARAI’s Mobility Research Centre (MRC), which is coming up at Takwe, near Pune. Three facilities – Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (ADAS) verification & validation test facility, Cylinder Test Facility and HEIT facility, would come up at MRC in the next 24 months.
“As far as the fast-charger is concerned, I have informed the Parliament that ARAI would develop a fast-charger by October-November 2022 and I am glad that the ARAI team has kept its word and developed it in a time-bound manner. Its USP is that it charges a vehicle for a range of 300 kms in half an hour,” the Minister elaborated.
“Our ministry along with the Petroleum Ministry and Road Transport Ministry has identified 22,000 petrol pumps where the process is on to have charging stations. In this direction, this fast charger will be useful,” he said.
Sharing more details about the 100 kW Charger, Abhijit Mule, General Manager, Automotive Electronics department, ARAI said the charger control unit and power module were designed by ARAI and the charger will considerably reduce charging time of electric vehicles.
“It will be used for buses and four-wheelers and ARAI will share technology with companies,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister witnessed the 1000th Crash Test at the ARAI’s Chakan facility and 600th Vehicle Electromagnetic Compatibility (ERC).
The dates of Symposium on International Automotive Technology 2024 (SIAT) were also announced and it will be held between January 23rd and 25th, 2024, with participation of 2000 representatives, across the globe.
