Gajanan Gandhe, Country Head and Vice President, Dana India, believes that the Indian two/three-wheeler segment will transition to 100% electric by 2030.
He told Mobility Outlookthat Dana is investing heavily in e-mobility starting from design and development to testing and validation. Gandhe made these comments at the recently held E-Mobility Forum organised by Messe Frankfurt and NGV India Submit.
While the forum was of the view that e-mobility in India would see a 10% CAGR growth till 2030, the Dana VP said this would be a bit of a stretch for all segments. His company believes that high power motorcycles, three-wheelers and SCV/luggage haulers — which he termed ‘high efficiency high value products’ — present a good opportunity.
According to Gandhe, other optional fuels such as CNG are perceived to be better in terms of ease of use and cost of operations and, along with biofuel, will see good growth.
However, hydrogen for heavy vehicles is a long way away. “I do not think there are enough technologies, production or even distribution for hydrogen,” he added. All these parameters are still at a “nascent stage” and will take at least five years to develop.
Gandhe said the Indian startup ecosystem along with established OEMs and component makers can play a key role in helping the automotive industry achieve 7% of total GDP in line with the Centre’s goals.
Yet, he cautioned that startups should do an analysis of the challenges ahead on localisation, technology and quality before they decide what they want to work on. This will help them find more opportunities to develop new products, processes and solutions.
As part of its CSR initiative, Dana India spends 20% of allocations on the startup ecosystem. “We spend a lot of time on startups and encourage them by rewarding them in competitions. We also give them opportunities to work with us not only in the mobility space but also biotech and healthcare,” added Gandhe.
Sustainable Approach
Dana India is also investing to support other sustainability drives. The parent company has made known its intent to reach 50% carbon neutral by 2030 and has identified initiatives across the US, Europe and India, he said.
Dana is looking at use of renewable sources of energy like solar and wind to improve production efficiencies with better fuel use and machine efficiencies. The Indian arm is also considering rainwater harvesting and tree plantation initiatives towards meeting the global CO2 reduction goal.
Gandhe said all 18 manufacturing plants have been asked to do major sustainability projects along with a host of minor ones. Dana India has identified six core areas where teams work to reduce the carbon footprint while bringing in more cost-efficiencies in operations, he added.
Also Read
“For Dana, Electrification Continues To Be A New Opportunity Both In India And Across The Globe.”