Minister: TN open for Hydrogen fuel-based projects

CHENNAI: As a part of achieving the ambitious $1 trillion economy by 2030, the Tamil Nadu Government is keen to invite companies to invest and set up hydrogen fuel-based projects in the state, said SS Sivasankar, TN Transport Minister.

Speaking at the 10th edition of Autoserve 2022, India’s largest & focused exhibition on automotive care, maintenance, service, parts and garage equipment event on Friday, he said it is important for all the industries in the state to introduce innovation in every aspect of their day-to-day activities to improve productivity, reduce costs, be more competitive, increase turnover and improve profitability.

“The state government has also taken various initiatives to achieve sustainability goals starting with the procurement of 500 electric buses in Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore and the procurement of 2,213 Diesel BS-VI Compliant buses for all state transport undertakings, rolling out the creation of rooftop solar panels at state transport undertakings premises in a phased manner and replacement of conventional/CFL bulbs with LED bulbs to name a few, he added.

Kamal Bali, deputy chairman, CII (SR) & president-MD, Volvo Group India Pvt Ltd as a part of his special address said, “We have just scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the auto and aftermarket industry with just 40 percent of the industry utilizing their potential. The balance 60 percent remains un-utilized leading to inefficiency. The industry from my perspective will see five shifts in the coming years that will be a game changer with many opportunities and challenges. The five shifts are Electric Vehicles and alternative fuel, digitisation and automation, connectivity, new transport concepts, and data generation.”

“India is a highly unorganised market when it comes to the automotive aftermarket. Though many rapid advancements have been made to reduce the market share of the unorganised market, a lot more needs to be done. In the recent past, in association with ASDC, we have imparted training for these mechanics on an all-India basis, especially on EV and batteries,” said Sandeep Sangwan, MD, Castrol India, in his special address.