The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers stated on Tuesday that in order to achieve the government’s goal of 30% adoption of electric vehicles by 2030, the Indian automotive industry will require up to 2 lakh skilled workers. To hire and train the workforce, a total of Rs 13,552 crore is anticipated to be invested in talent. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) President Vinod Aggarwal delivered a workshop on empowering EV-ready workforce in the Indian auto industry.
“As we look ahead, one of the major constraints the auto industry will face is the dearth of skilled electric vehicle capable manpower,” Aggarwal stated. Aggarwal, who is also the MD and CEO of Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle Ltd., emphasised the need of having specific domain knowledge in motor design, powered electronics, and battery technology.
EV Market by 2030
The required talent will be distributed among both white-collar and blue-collar workers, from PhD scientists and engineers in R&D to technicians in manufacturing and testing.
“The necessary skill set will also cover various fields such as mechanical, chemical, and electronics engineering,” stated Chandra, who holds the position of MD at Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd. The ‘SIAM EV Skill Gap Study’ report states that India must increase the number of EV-ready workers from the present rate of 15,000 per year to 30,000 per year by 2030 in order to achieve 100% localisation of EV components.
According to the survey, there is little overlap in 43% of the technical competencies between internal combustion engines (ICE) and electric vehicles , necessitating the need for new personnel to be skilled in these areas. Also, 27% of technical competencies have a significant stage of overlap between ICE and EV, meaning that current staff may need to be retrained.
“Hiring would cost approximately Rs 7,671 crore, while training would cost roughly Rs 5,881 crore. The research stated that a total of approximately Rs 13,552 crore is anticipated to be invested in talent.