tesla: Elon Musk is welcome to manufacture Tesla cars in India: Nitin Gadkari

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2022, Gadkari said, “My suggestion to Elon Musk is that he will get a good market in India. The Indian market is very huge so it is a win-win situation for both. All venders available in China are also here, be it for spare parts or for any other things at comparable quality from Indian manufacturers.”

Elon Musk has to manufacture Tesla cars in India to sell vehicles in the country: Nitin Gadkari

Elon Musk, who has just bought Twitter for $44 billion, will have to manufacture his Tesla cars in India, and not China, if he wants to come and sell the vehicles in the country, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said here on Tuesday. Reiterating that Musk will not get any special treatment when it comes to customs duties, Gadkari said during the ‘Raisina Dialogue 2022’ that if Musk wants to manufacture in China and sell Tesla cars here, “it cannot be a good proposition for India”.

“If he will make here in India, he will save in India, and get good profits. I will request him to come to India and start manufacturing,” he added.

Commenting on accidents in electric vehicles, he said, “In March and April, when the temperature rises, there is some problem with the batteries. We have appointed an expert committee to investigate this and get the reports. I feel that it is a problem of high temperature. Now we have decided to make standardised rules and regulations for that.”

Gadkari said that there is a need to have a testing system for the battery and cells of electric vehicles.

“These are unfortunate accidents and we do not want to create more complications for the industry. But the safety is the highest priority for the government…We will be coming out with standards soon,” he said, adding, “I request companies to take back their products if some manufacturing problem is there.”

Responding to a query on the high crude oil prices and the need to hasten the transition towards electric vehicles, Gadkari said, “Because of import of crude oil, we are facing crucial economic challenges, at the same time pollution problems. We have import of Rs 8 lakh crores of petroleum products, and exactly on that line we need to find some alternatives. The government is working on all options and in some time we will be able to give an alternative solution to this (crude oil import).”