Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a proponent of all that is green, that much isn’t a secret. However, he has been increasingly finding himself at odds with the US government, which with Donald Trump holding the reins, has suddenly become much less keen about the environment. Well, with the US leaving the Paris accords India appears to be looming large in the Tesla founder’s possibility horizon.
India has been moving to greenify the ecosystem n the country, Pretty little has been done on the ground but the government has laid out extremely ambitious plans including one that wants the country to make the move to an all electric vehicle fleet by 2030. Musk welcomed this move right after he announced his resignation from President Trump’s councils.
Elon Musk had said:
Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.
He also tweeted:
India commits to sell only electric cars by 2030. It is already the largest market for solar power.
This was in reference to power minister Piyush Goyal’s statements about India moving to an all electric car fleet by 2030. The plan has not been confirmed yet, but the government has taken it into consideration.
Responding to Musk’s tweets about India, Anand Mahindra said:
Time you got here Elon. You don’t want to leave that whole market to Mahindra, do you? The more – the merrier – and greener…!
Elon Musk’s affection for India comes a few days after the government assuaged fears that his firms will be forced to source components locally. Tesla is slated to launch in the country in summer this year, with manufacturing facilities on the plans. However, Musk had expressed uncertainty regarding how the laws worked.
Maybe I’m misinformed, but I was told that 30% of parts must be locally sourced and the supply does not yet exist in India to support that.
The government has clarified that the 30 percent sourcing plan was applicable to foreign companies looking to open a single brand, wholly owned retail store within the country. Companies like Tesla on the other hand was more of a foreign investor and as such, was not bound by the constraints of this policy.
Well, India appears to be waiting for Tesla’s entry. There are relaxed norms, free land near the ports offered by transportation minister Nitin Gadkari and a potential market. I am sure the Tesla CEO will be taking all this into account as he mulls over his company’s next destination.
