New Delhi ab India ki vehicle standards, crash tests or technology research wali 4 testing agencies ko full boost de raha hai, especially jab new powertrains or connectivity tech automotive assembly line pe fast pace mein aa rahe hai.
Yeh agencies Automotive Research Association of India (Pune), International Centre for Automotive Technology (Manesar), Global Automotive Research Centre (Chennai), or National Automotive Test Tracks, ko upgrade kiya jayega, total cost around Rs776.29 crore hogi. Yeh baat 2 government officials ne batayi, but unhone apni identity disclose nahi ki.
Union Heavy Industries Ministry ka yeh initiative basically agencies ko help karne ke liye hai so that wo vehicle certifiaction process ko fast kar sakein, or saath hi vehicle connectivity, cybersecurity, alternate fuels or electric hybrid vehicles jaise aeras mein apni expertise build kar sakein, especially India jaise world ke third largest automobile market mein.
Yeh ji 4 agencies hai, yeh ensure karti hai ki vehicles safe ho, environmental norms follow karein, or performance standards meet karein, wo bhi proper certification or R&D testing ke through.
Centre ne process already start kar diya hai, ek government document ke according. State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) ne bhi is work ke liye 65 tenders already issue kar diye hai, jo Rs. 10,990 crore ke PM E-Drive scheme ke under hoga, jo October 2024 mein launch hui thi.
Yeh upgrade vehicle launches ko fast karega, or jo test aayenge, woh clear picture denge, jaise car ki performance kaisi hai, battery kitni durable hai, or software kitna reliable hai.
Un logon ne yeh bhi bola ki isse new assets ko underwrite karna easy ho jayega. Overall, isse funding or investments milna or easy ho jayega, especially new age mobility sector mein, jaise electric vehicles (EVs).
"Agar main ek EV maker hota, or mujhe apni car ko testing or approval ke liye in agencies ke paas submit karna padta, so mujhe 6-8 months ki waiting line face karni padti. In testing agencies ko upgrade karne pe jo money invest kiya ja raha hai, uska main goal yeh hai ki waiting time almost zero ho jaye. Because everyday without any approval, automaker apne margins or market share lose kar sakta hai," un 2 officials mein se ek ne name na reveal karne ki condition par kaha.
India mein EV adoption gradually increase ho raha hai. 2025 mein 2 million se zyada EVs bike, whereas 2024 mein around 1.9 million the.
2025 mein India mein total 27.4 million new vehicles bike, jisme se around 8% electric the. last year yeh number around 7.4% tha, yeh data government ke vehicle registry portal ke according hai.
"Total corpus mein se ARAI ko Rs.79 crore milenge, ICAT ko Rs.217 crore, GARC ko Rs.221 crore, or NATRAX ko Rs.257 crore milenge," official ne add kiya.
Yeh agencies jo work karti hai, usse decide hota hai ki koi vehicle government ke PM E-Drive scheme or PLI-Auto scheme ke incentives ke liye eligible hai ya nahi.
ARAI ne apni FY25 ki annual report (September 2025, jo latest available hai) mein bataya ki usne PLI-Auto scheme ke under 80 localization applications approve kiye, jo FY24 ke 39 approvals se double se bhi zyada hai.
Isi tarah, FY25 mein (jo scheme ka first year tha), ARAI ne PM E-Drive scheme ke under 350 se zyada vehicle models ko bhi approval diya.
2 February ko heavy industries ministry, BHEL, ARAI, ICAT, Grac or NATRAX ke spokespersons ko queries email ki gayi thi, par abhi tak koi reply nahi aaya. (According to mint)
Automotive sector mein environment, safety or operational costs kaafi high hote hai, that's why vehicle testing facilities ko improve karna ciritical hai, yeh baat Sharif Qamar ne boli, jo TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) mein Transport or Urban Mobility ke associsate director hai.
"Indian testing agencies ki capability or capacity ko improve karne ke liye R&D pe or zyada focus karna padega, so that domestic or international agencies ke between jo gap hai, woh bridge ho sake. Jo standards develop hote hai or testing hoti hai, uska kaafi massive multiplier effect hota hai, jaise EV batteries ki safety mein imrovement, jahan incidents ka rate ICE vehicles ke comparison mein kaafi low hai. But commercial vehicles or buses jaise segments, jo safety or emissions testing ke liye kaafi important hai or jinmein heavy investment lagta hai, unko frequently ignore kar diya jata hai," unhone kaha.
Yeh upgrades ka goal yeh hai ki testing agencies ki capacity ko match kiya ja sake un advanced automotive technologies ke saath, jinhe government ne Rs. 25,938 crore ke production linked incentive scheme ke under promote kiya hai, jo automobile or auto parts ke liye hai. Saath hi, yeh autobile industry ki changing needs ko bhi address karega, jaise vehicle connectivity or software driven cars ki taraf shift, other official ne add kiya.
Whereas India mein abhi fully driverless cars allowed hai, but driver assistance technology legal hai. Jaise ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) ke Level 1 or Level 2, jisme features milte hai jaise adaptive cruise control, lane assist, or driver attention monitoring.
ADAS Level 3, for example, thoda advanced hota hai, isme conditional automation hoti hai, matlab kuch specific conditions mein car khud chal sakti hai.
Automated cars mein ab itni advancement ho gayi hai ki vehicle khud traffic ko samajh ke different lanes mein steer kar sakta hai.
And jaise India long distance electric travel ke liye ready ho raha hai, focus is baat pe hai ki common communication or interoperability protocols banaye jaayen. Isse electric cars, buses or freight vehicles easily third-generation (3G) mobility networks ke saath integrate ho paayenge, jaise charging infrastructure, toll systems, roadside assistance or V2X platforms.
India ne autonomous vehicles ke field mein ek ambitious push ke liye groundwork ready kar liya hai. Government ek new system develop kar rahi hai jise Connected Commercial Vehicle (CCV) protocol bolte hai. Isse different types ke vehicles or infrastructure ek hi standard pe communicate kar paayenge, jisse unka saath mein smoothly operate karna kaafi easy ho jayega, jaise pehle Mint ne report kiya tha.
Upgrade aise time pe aa raha hai jab NITI Aayog ne April 2025 mein bola tha lack of proper testing centres India ki competitiveness ko negatively affect kar sakti hai.
"India mein abhi bhi advanced testing or validation centres ki kaafi kami hai, jo next gen automotive tech develop karne ke liye bahut important hote hai. Battery research, vehicle safety testing, or autonomous vehicles ke simulation labs jaise facilities ya toh properly developed nahi hai ya phir available hi nahi hai. Proper infrastructure na hone ki wajah se Indian manufacturers ko R&D ke liye foreign labs ka support lena padta hai, jisse cost bhi increase ho jaati hai or lead time bhi," federal policy think tank ne April 2025 ki report mein kaha.
India ka automobile market, jisme 2025 mein 26.8 million units sell hue, around $137.06 billion ka tha, yeh estimate diya hai Mordor Intelligence ne, jo ek market research firm hai.
EV market ki value around $54 billion thi, or hybrid market ka size around $0.53 billion tha. Mordor ka kehna hai ki 2029 tak EV market ki value double ho sakti hai.
Better testing facilites hone se EV adoption ke financing wale roadblock bhi clear ho sakte hai, because financiers ko zyada clarity provide hoti hai.
"Better or more strong testing system or infrastructure se car ki performance, battery ki life or software ki reliability ko lekar jo doubts hote hai, wo kaafi reduce ho jaati hai, or yeh sab things underwriting ke liye bahut important hoti hai. Jab testing strong hoti hai, so technology ka risk reduce ho jaata hai, or jab risk reduce hota hai, tabhi big institutional investors EVs or next-gen mobility mein invest ke liye ready hote hai," Kunal Mundra, founder or CEO, Astranova Mobility (Gurugram-based EV financier) ne kaha.
Yeh us time pe ho raha hai jab India mein electric mobility ka adoption increase ho raha hai or costs bhi gradually reduce ho rahi hai. EV batteries ka cost, jo car ki total cost ka around ek-third hota hai, woh bhi kaafi down ho gaya hai, around $156 per kWh (2019) se lekar ab approx $105 per kWh (2026) tak, BloombergNEF ke according.
"By the way, December 2025 ki KPGM report ke according, India mein electric 2-wheeler or petrol 2 wheeler ko buy or operate karne ka cost almost same ho gaya hai."