India's Mobility Evolution: From Local Solutions to Global Ambitions
India's journey in mobility has always been uniquely shaped by its diverse conditions. Roads vary dramatically across regions, extreme climates test mechanical endurance, and daily usage consistently prioritizes practicality over novelty. Throughout history, the mobility solutions that gained widespread acceptance were those engineered with profound understanding of these ground realities. This approach built enduring trust among users and created lasting value. While expectations from mobility have evolved significantly, the fundamental need for reliability, affordability, and long-term performance has remained constant. Today, as the industry undergoes a monumental transition toward electric and technology-driven mobility, this foundational principle continues to matter more than ever.
India's EV Momentum: Current Market Landscape and Growth Trajectory
The country's growth rate for electric vehicles is on a strong upward trajectory, though adoption varies considerably across different regions and vehicle segments. Urban centers and two-wheelers are currently leading the charge for EV adoption, while many other segments are taking a more measured, strategic approach. In the calendar year 2025, approximately 2.3 million EV sales occurred in India, accounting for nearly 8% of total vehicle registrations nationwide. EV adoption grew from about 7.1% in fiscal year 2024 to approximately 7.8% in FY2025. While these impressive figures indicate surging consumer interest and willingness to purchase electric vehicles, they also reveal persistent barriers that continue to hinder mass EV adoption, including concerns regarding EVs' durability, affordability, charging infrastructure access, and long-term ownership experience.
Why Manufacturing Scale Alone Cannot Ensure Leadership
With rapid development in electric mobility solutions, it has become evident that simply scaling up production processes will not be sufficient for sustained leadership in this critical sector. Local assembly supports cost savings and increases production volumes without necessarily enabling genuine local technological development. True technological advancement in this industry is essential for becoming global leaders because merely assembling imported systems makes domestic players vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and innovation constraints. Innovation must occur at the fundamental component level for India to transition from being a market participant to becoming an industry leader in electric mobility.
Deep Tech R&D as the Defining Lever for Mobility Transformation
The Government of India deserves strong appreciation and acknowledgment for recognizing this critical national requirement and, in 2025, approving a landmark Research, Development, and Innovation scheme amounting to INR 1 lakh crore. This represents a bold, timely, and highly commendable intervention that reflects clear commitment to India's long-term technological and economic self-reliance. The vision, scale, and intent of this scheme warrant sincere recognition, as it creates a robust foundation for sustained innovation across the country. By enabling long-tenor, low-interest financing, equity participation, and structured investment mechanisms focused on continuity of research, the government has moved decisively from policy ambition to tangible execution. The initial allocations mark a meaningful step toward national progress and will benefit India as a whole, empowering sectors such as mobility to pursue applied research with lasting impact rather than short-cycle experimentation.
Why Deep Tech Innovation Matters for Electric Mobility
Research in deep technology has an indisputable impact on modern electric mobility, and the future will be characterized by breakthroughs in motors, magnets, materials, power electronics, thermal systems, and battery chemistry that determine the efficiency, safety, and durability of electric vehicles. Minimizing reliance on high-risk imports for magnets and critical materials not only enhances supply chain resilience but also ensures strategic autonomy. Indigenous research leads to superior system integration, greater energy efficiency, and longer lifecycle performance. Investing in long-term, low-cost capital means engineering teams can dedicate their efforts to tackling complex technological challenges rather than being forced by short-term pressures to concentrate on incremental improvements.
Industry Implications and Ecosystem Development
The transition demands tighter cooperation among industry players, academic institutions, and research organizations. This collaboration can help translate scientific research into large-scale industrial applications. Additionally, the creation of intellectual property in critical subsystems helps reinforce domestic capability and creates sustainable competitive advantages. Equally important is attention to reliability and lifecycle performance. In a diverse and price-sensitive market like India, the company winning the race for mass adoption will be the one that offers the most consistent performance over time, rather than one that simply provides numerous features. The development of Indian frontline supply chains for strategic mobility parts further enhances the trustworthiness and sturdiness of domestic manufacturing partnerships.
Reimagining India's Role in Global Mobility Leadership
Continuous capital investments in deep technology-based innovative solutions will allow India to not only consume electric vehicles as a massive domestic market but also emerge as an advanced mobility technology supplier to the world. Making such progressions can unlock significant export opportunities, attract foreign collaborations, and nurture high-value engineering talent. Global competition in the long run will rely on patient capital, system-level thinking, and unyielding support for research-based development that creates sustainable competitive advantages.
The Road Ahead: Building on India's Mobility Legacy
India has successfully built mobility solutions tailored to local needs throughout its history. That valuable experience provides a strong foundation for the electric future. By anchoring the next chapter of mobility in deep tech research and engineering excellence, the country can develop technologies that are resilient, scalable, and globally relevant. Research-led innovation has the potential to anchor consumer trust, enable manufacturing scale, and position India as a long-term leader in the evolving global mobility landscape.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author and do not represent any of The Times Group or its employees.
