Since taking office as the road transport and highways minister in 2014, Nitin Gadkari has relentlessly pushed to make electric vehicles (EVs) the backbone of India’s transportation future. 

It isn’t just about building cleaner vehicles, it’s about reducing India’s ₹22 lakh crore annual fossil fuel import bill, cutting pollution in cities, and turning farmers into energy producers.

Speaking about the broader strategy at AIM’s Power Exchange, Gadkari emphasised, “About 40% of the air pollution in cities like Delhi and Mumbai is caused by fossil fuel. This is directly linked to my ministry, and I take that responsibility seriously.”

Ethanol to Hydrogen: India’s Multi-Fuel Strategy

Gadkari’s approach isn’t focused solely on EVs. Instead, it includes a mix of ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, bio-CNG, electric, and hydrogen — all intended to serve as import substitutes and pollution-reducing alternatives. This multi-pronged strategy, he believes, is critical for energy security.

“Every year, our import bill keeps rising. Even with all these alternatives, we still haven’t managed to reduce the ₹22 lakh crore figure. That’s why we’re now betting big on hydrogen,” he said, noting that 10 pilot projects involving hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen IC engine trucks are currently underway.

Tata, Ashok Leyland, and Volvo are among the companies developing hydrogen-powered vehicles. Gadkari himself now drives a Toyota Mirai, a hydrogen car whose name means “future” in Japanese. His Innova in Nagpur runs entirely on ethanol.

According to Gadkari, ethanol-based vehicles can be drastically cheaper to use. “When my Innova runs on ethanol, it generates 60% electricity. That brings the effective fuel cost down to ₹25 per litre,” he explained.

EVs Are Catching On — Fast

Giving in to early scepticism, “people used to ask me if I’d come push the car if it stopped on the road”. But, EVs are now seeing massive uptake. Gadkari claims that sales of electric scooters have risen 300%, and major Indian automakers like Tata and Mahindra are ramping up exports. Bajaj, Hero, and TVS now export 50% of their two-wheelers.

“In 2014, India’s automobile industry was worth ₹13 lakh crore. It’s now at ₹22 lakh crore. We were 7th globally; now we’ve overtaken Japan to reach 3rd position,” Gadkari said. His goal is to make India the world’s top EV manufacturing hub within five years.

Concerns around battery waste are valid, but Gadkari says the solution is already being tested. Retired lithium-ion batteries are being used for power storage, allowing power companies to store electricity when prices are low and sell when the demand spikes.

“It’s already happening. You’ll soon see battery-based power storage become a major sector,” he stated confidently.

New chemistries like sodium-ion, zinc-ion, and aluminum-ion are also being developed. Startups across India are working on indigenous materials to reduce battery costs and increase availability.

No One Size Fits All: EV vs Hybrid vs Biofuel

On the debate around hybrid versus full-electric vehicles, Gadkari’s stance is pragmatic: “There is no debate, there is an option. May the best technology win. Instead of 100% fossil fuels, we now have cost-effective and indigenous alternatives.”

This consumer-driven shift is already visible. “I don’t need to convince anyone. Journalists themselves now ask me to help them get an electric car delivery ahead of the queue,” he added.

At the core of Gadkari’s EV vision lies a deeper economic transformation, enabling farmers to become energy producers. Ethanol derived from corn, sugarcane, and even bamboo is helping lift agricultural prices. “Corn used to sell at ₹1,200 per quintal, now it’s ₹2,600, thanks to ethanol,” he pointed out.

From producing ethanol and isobutanol to making bitumen from farm waste, Gadkari is backing a new agricultural-industrial ecosystem. Roads are already being built using bio-bitumen derived from crop residue and lignin. In Panipat, 1 lakh litres of ethanol are now being turned into sustainable aviation fuel daily.

“The farmer is not just a food producer. He is now an energy producer, a bitumen producer, even an aviation fuel producer,” said Gadkari.

The Union minister remains unfazed amidst scepticism. “You can mark my words — in the near future, India will become an energy exporting country,” he declared. With ongoing investments in hydrogen-powered vehicles, ethanol plants, and power storage tech, the transport minister’s grand vision is clear: a cleaner India powered by its villages, driven by homegrown tech, and fueled by political will.

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