As India’s EV adoption grows, charging firms look to bridge talent shortage
Many EV charging startups are launching training and research programmes to bridge the deficit for skilled technicians and engineers in the charging ecosystem. Are these efforts enough to meet India's target of 30% EV penetration by 2030?
The Government of India has set an ambitious target of 30% EV (electric vehicle) penetration by 2030. But if the country has to meet this target, it has to address the talent shortage in the sector.
The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers forecasts that India will require between 1 lakh and 2 lakh skilled professions to meet the 30% target. This includes engineers, scientists and technicians.
But for now, the availability of skilled labour in the EV charging ecosystem seems to have hit a road-bump. A recent white paper released by the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India in partnership with The Energy and Resources Institute notes that there is an insufficient number of trained service technicians for setting up charging infrastructure and for prompt servicing of software-related issues. The industry’s intake of EV-ready workers must rise from 15,000 to 30,000 annually, the document notes.
The paper also highlights that many state governments have drawn up their own EV policy to boost production and adoption of EVs in their states. Most of these policies have laid emphasis on skilling and upskilling along with setting up of infrastructure for manufacturing EV parts and charging components.
The EV ecosystem has seen rising investments in recent times buoyed by consumer adoption of EVs and increased R&D in the space. Investors are also encouraged by the initial bets by VCs translating into IPOs, including the listing of IIT-incubated Ather Energy.
For innovation to translate into usable products, skilled manpower is required—and this is something the industry is struggling with.
“You need hands to convert technology into usable products. And you need talent to further work upon battery chemistry, traction motors, power electronics, ECUs (electronic control unit), MCUs (microcontroller units), etc. Today, the pace at which the industry has progressed is much higher than the pace at which academia has progressed,” says Rajeev YSR, CEO of EV charging startup ThunderPlus.
Training programmes to tackle the talent shortage
The good news is the sector is not just acknowledging the skill gaps but is also moving towards overcoming them. Several startups have launched or are launching training programmes to address the gaps in talent availability.
Earlier this month, ThunderPlus signed a memorandum of understanding with Mallareddy University to launch EV-focused programmes encompassing research and hands-on learning for students. The course trains people who have passed 8th or 10th grade.
Meanwhile, its peer Bolt.Earth is also working on addressing the skill gaps in the ecosystem. The firm has deployed over 5,000 service technicians to keep its 1 lakh+ charging stations, across 1,800 cities, in check. The company’s CEO, Raghav Bharadwaj, says training these technicians is crucial to ensure a smooth customer experience, which reflects the reliability of its brand.
To meet the need for training, the company has partnered with the Automotive Skill Development Council of India to launch an EV technician course for EV charging.
“We've already trained about 5,000 technicians,” says Bharadwaj, adding that these technicians are trained in installations and maintenance, are job-ready, and can be hired by other companies in the charging industry.
Meanwhile, Tata Power Skill Development Institute is offering courses designed specifically for installation and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure. ChargeZone, an EV charging company, provides a franchise programme for entrepreneurs to set up and operate charging stations, and helps with technology, operational support and training for managing charging infrastructure.
More such efforts—encompassing government-led skilling programmes, company-driven training initiatives, and private-public partnerships—are needed at scale to address the shortage of talent and meet the EV adoption target in five years.
Edited by Swetha Kannan