New Delhi: Argentina has huge reserves of Lithium and India can source Lithium directly from Argentina rather than from China. Hugo Javier Gobbi, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic in India, Monday invited Indian companies to invest in lithium mining in Argentina for this.
Addressing a PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Electric Vehicles Conclave on ‘Roadmap to India’s E-Mobility Journey – Translating Vision to Reality’, the Ambassador said that there were complementarities between India and Argentina regarding critical minerals like lithium and copper which are required for electric vehicles and sustainable energy solutions. India has huge demand for these metals and Argentina has huge reserves of their minerals. He appealed that India should source lithium directly from Argentina rather than from China and reduce dependence on China. Presently, China is India’s leading supplier of lithium.
Devansh Jain, Chair – RE Committee, PHDCCI, in the welcome address said, “India’s transition to electric mobility is not merely a choice; it is an imperative for the sustainable future of the country. Electric vehicles hold the key to reducing the carbon footprint, improving air quality, and enhancing energy efficiency. The internal combustion engine, once the symbol of progress and prosperity, is now recognized as a major contributor to environmental degradation. We cannot continue on this path if we are to safeguard the planet for future generations. This is why electric vehicles (EVs) have become the vanguard of a new era in transportation.”
Ayush Lohia, CEO, Lohia Auto Industries, in his address on ‘Deepening India’s EV Capabilities to strengthen its value-chain’ expressed his optimism for the EV sector in India and said that an EV revolution was round the corner. He stressed on skill development (specially in Electromechanical Engineering), R & D and customer service to facilitate the EV revolution in India.
Deb Mukherjee, CEO, Omega Seiki Mobility, said that the EV revolution is a huge opportunity for India, specially for MSMEs. He suggested that India should focus on manufacturing EV parts, powertrain and batteries.
Subhabrata Sengupta, Partner, Avalon Consulting, and Knowledge Partner for the event, said in his presentation that critical materials (minerals) are essential for Electric Vehicles and India is heavily dependent on the import of these major critical materials for its EV industry to thrive. During a largest mining event held in June 2022 in Canada, the US and its 11 partner countries have announced and setup a mineral security partnership. India is the first major developing country to join the partnership in June 2023 which helps it to secure and build a resilient supply chain for critical minerals. Similarly, India & Australia have also signed the Critical Minerals Investment Partnership, a major milestone for India towards investment in critical minerals and developing strong supply chains between the two countries.
