The Indian government intends to organize a workshop for businesses interested in importing high-end electric vehicles at reduced tariffs, aiming to gather stakeholder input on the highly publicized initiative. The initiative, unveiled with great enthusiasm last year, had generated expectations that US electric vehicle leader Tesla would commence activities in the nation. It has, however, received a tepid response thus far, leading to the necessity for discussions to determine the reasons, including if additional incentives are required.

Input from the workshop will be taken into account when establishing the guidelines for the scheme. The guidelines are yet to be confirmed. This will mark the second round of discussions with the industry. The Centre's recent action comes after the latest US presidential election in which Tesla's founder, Elon Musk, collaborated closely with president-elect Donald Trump.

The Heavy Industries Ministry had in March rolled out the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India (SPMEPCI), permitting import of green cars on concessional import tariffs. The scheme had met a key demand placed by Tesla for its India foray-reduced tariffs. "A workshop on SPMEPCI is scheduled for later this month. It will help companies better understand the scheme," a senior official told ET.

The initial stakeholder consultation for SPMEPCI took place in April 2024, with participation from leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). In the April meeting, Tesla was represented by its advisor, The Asia Group (TAG) India. Vietnam's VinFAST, establishing an EV factory in Tamil Nadu, also participated in the meeting via a video connection.