Pune: Develop Chinchwad as hub of electric vehicles: MCCIA to state govt

The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) has urged the Maharashtra government to develop the Auto Cluster in Chinchwad as the hub for the burgeoning electric vehicle industry in the area. Prashant Girbane, director general of MCCIA, said Pune would be an ideal point to emerge as a hub given the already existing ecosystem for the automobile industry.

Maharashtra has become the latest state to announce hefty incentives for the electric vehicle industry, with nearly 10 per cent of the existing vehicles to be phased out by electric vehicles as per the target set by the government. The state government’s policy has both consumer-level and producer-level incentives for the industry.

Given the dynamic nature of the industry, Girbane said a hub can act as the guiding light for development of the sector. He pointed out that Pune has both the Automotive Research Association of India as well as the existing ecosystem of an automotive sector.

“The electronic hub of the chamber would be functional by the end of the year,” he said. Auto Cluster — a joint venture of the state government and the MCCIA — can also play a very important role in this, he said.

The hub so developed can guide, train and also give direction to the emerging EV industry. Vendor training, an important part in the sector, can also be started here. The gradual shifting towards electric vehicles, said Girbane, would certainly pose a challenge for the existing value chain. Suppliers and vendors would have to tweak their operations and technology to stay updated with the changes.

“As a Chamber, we are continuing our endeavour by conducting sessions about this,” he said.

– Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.