India must keep e-scooter subsidies to boost adoption, says Ather CEO | Company News
India will need to keep subsidies for electric scooters for another few years to boost the switch from polluting motorbikes, the CEO of e-scooter maker Ather Energy told Reuters on Saturday.
Industry experts believe subsidies such as cash incentives are crucial to India hitting its goal of electrifying 70% of its two-wheeler fleet by 2030, as the world's third-largest importer of oil looks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
"We've been able to cut down a lot of subsidy reliance, but it's also come at the cost of almost a year's worth of lost growth," Ather CEO and co-founder Tarun Mehta said in an interview.
Mehta was referring to the government's surprise decision in May to slash cash incentives for e-scooters to a maximum of 15% of the purchase price befor...