Is Electric Vehicles in India dependent on China?

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India's electric vehicle (EV) sector has significant dependencies on China, particularly in the supply chain for key components.

Key Dependencies:

• Battery Manufacturing: India relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for lithium-ion batteries, which are essential for EVs.
• Raw Materials: China dominates the supply of critical raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are vital for battery production.
• Components and Technology: Many EV components, including electric motors and controllers, are sourced from China.

Government Initiatives:

• India is actively working to reduce this dependency through initiatives like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which encourages local manufacturing of EV components.
• The government aims to promote domestic production of batteries and other critical components to enhance self-sufficiency.

Current Trends:

• Indian companies are exploring partnerships and investments in battery manufacturing and raw material sourcing to diversify supply chains.
• There is a growing interest in developing alternative sources for raw materials, including domestic mining and recycling initiatives.

While India is making strides towards reducing its reliance on China, the current landscape still shows a significant dependency on Chinese imports for the EV industry.

 

[prasad1]

India wants its own EV market, but needs China to get there​

Despite tensions with China, India is avoiding U.S.-style restrictions, hoping for a bridge to domestic innovation.​

Eva Vázquez for Rest of World
By Ananya Bhattacharya

• Without Chinese tech, India would face supply shortages, delayed rollouts, and reduced product diversity.
• Experts warn overdependence on China could undermine India’s goal of developing its own EV technology.
• India’s best-selling electric car is sold by a joint venture between Indian conglomerate JSW and Chinese automaker SAIC.

India is betting on Chinese technology to keep its electric-vehicle transition on track.

At a time when the U.S. is erecting trade barriers to keep Chinese EV giants at bay, India has taken a different course.

“Without Chinese tech, India would face supply shortages, delayed rollouts, and reduced product diversity,” Pragathi Darapaneni, senior battery materials scientist and former researcher at Argonne National Laboratory, told Rest of World.

India’s own EV makers are struggling as the government revamps its subsidies to drive local innovation and investment. The country is relying on Chinese tech to bridge the gap until the domestic players are more robust.

The shift is happening with no fanfare. Since deadly border clashes with China in 2020, India banned apps like TikTok and Shein, and blocked Chinese automakers like BYDi from setting up a local factory, citing national security concerns. Yet, Chinese technology remains central to India’s EV ambitions. In late March, India cut tariffs on over 35 EV components, most of which still come from China, making the tech exchange between the two countries even easier.


Big Indian EV makers, such as “Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ola Electric, etc., still rely on Chinese suppliers for [lithium-ion] cells and power electronics components, even if final assembly is done in India locally,” Shubham Munde, a senior analyst covering tech at research and intelligence firm Market Research Future, told Rest of World.

“The aim is to build a resilient domestic ecosystem, not to isolate it, unlike the more aggressive decoupling seen in the U.S. with China,” Munde said.

Indian firms opt for joint ventures with global players — mostly Chinese — to gain both capital and shortcuts for R&D timelines. These partnerships help them “leapfrog development stages by accessing tested EV platforms, battery modules, and manufacturing playbooks,” Leon Huang, CEO of RapidDirect, a global precision manufacturing company that supports EV supply chains, told Rest of World.

Chinese firms “also help local partners [in India] build supply chain reliability and achieve faster localization by starting with preexisting part libraries and manufacturing standards,” Huang said.

Such collaborations have shaken up the Indian market. Tata Motors, the country’s leading EV maker, has seen its lead shrink as MG Motor — a joint venture between Indian conglomerate JSW and China’s state-owned automaker SAIC — doubled its market share within a year. The MG Windsor, now India’s best-selling electric car, came out of that collaboration.

India wants its own EV market, but needs China to get there

Despite tensions with China, India is avoiding U.S.-style restrictions, hoping for a bridge to domestic innovation.

restofworld.org

 

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India’s Roadmap to Reduce Dependency on China for EV Technology

Government Investment in Homegrown EV Technologies
The Indian government has allocated ₹14,000 crore (approximately $1.7 billion) over five years to promote indigenous technology development in the EV sector. This funding focuses on three primary areas:

Innovative battery technologies
Power Electronics
Charging infrastructure
Abhay Karandikar, Secretary and CEO of ANRF, emphasized that this initiative is designed to propel the domestic manufacturing of EVs and components, many of which have traditionally been imported from China.

India's Roadmap to Reduce Dependency on China for EV Technology - All India EV

India’s electric vehicle (EV) market is witnessing rapid growth, fueled by the government’s push to promote indigenous innovation and reduce dependency on Chinese imports. With a focus on building a self-sustaining EV ecosystem, the government has launched strategic initiatives to boost research...

allindiaev.com

 

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India Depends 90% On CHINA For EVs ! | Autodeck​

India Depends 90% On CHINA For EVs ! | Autodeck China silently controls the backbone of the global EV revolution. From Tata and Ola to Tesla and Volkswagen — 90% of parts and batteries depend on China. Discover how deep this dependency goes, and what it means for India’s future in electric vehicles. Watch till the end for the full truth ...

 

[prasad1]

Why India’s Budding EV Sector Has Opened Its Doors To China
By Alex Kimani - T
India’s young EV sector is increasingly reliant on Chinese technology.
New Delhi has slashed tariffs on EV components and fully built electric cars to attract global manufacturers and support local production.
Despite shifting, India's EV sector relies heavily on Chinese batteries and drivetrain components.

For decades, China has driven the lion’s share of oil demand growth thanks to its remarkable economic boom and large population. However, China is now losing its prominence in global oil markets due to a dramatic slowdown in its economy coupled with the country’s ongoing electric vehicle revolution. Last year, nearly half of all new cars sold in China were electric vehicles, including both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Indeed, China's rapid adoption of EVs, as well as rapid growth of high-speed rail and natural gas trucks, is displacing traditional fossil fuel demand, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicting that China's oil demand will peak as early as 2027. Ironically, the country that is taking over China’s mantle in world oil markets is also aspiring to follow in its EV footsteps: India. Unlike China, India’s EV sector is still at its infancy, with electric vehicles accounting for just 2.5% of all cars sold in the country in 2024. However, India has big EV ambitions, with the Indian government having set a target for EVs to make up 30% of total passenger vehicle sales by 2030. To accomplish this, India’s EV sector is forging close ties with Chinese EV manufacturers at a time when Washington has been keeping Chinese EV giants at bay. India is relying on Chinese EV tech to bridge the gap until the domestic sector is ready to compete on the global stage.

Industry analysts note that without access to Chinese technologies—including batteries, drivetrain components, and EV software—India would likely face slower product rollouts, limited model variety, and higher costs during its growth phase. This marks a clear pivot from just a few years ago, when India restricted the operations of firms like BYD and banned popular Chinese apps such as TikTok and Shein after deadly clashes at the border.
Related: U.S. Battery Makers Declare National Emergency After China’s Antimony Ban


Now, New Delhi appears to be taking a more calculated stance. In March, the government reduced tariffs on over 35 EV components, many of which are imported from China, making it easier for automakers to source critical parts. A few weeks later, India’s Ministry of Heavy Industries unveiled a new EV policy slashing import duties on fully built EVs from 110% to 15%, provided manufacturers invest and set up local production. This dual-pronged approach aims to attract international players while building out domestic supply chains.

Experts view these shifts as pragmatic. Leading Indian EV makers—such as Tata Motors, Ola Electric, and Mahindra & Mahindra—continue to depend on Chinese vendors for components like battery cells, power control units, and electric motors, even though assembly is carried out in India.

“The aim is to build a resilient domestic ecosystem, not to isolate it, unlike the more aggressive decoupling seen in the U.S. with China,” said Shubham Munde, senior analyst at intelligence firm Market Research Future.

Why India’s Budding EV Sector Has Opened Its Doors To China | OilPrice.com

While joint ventures like MG Motor are gaining ground, India’s EV market remains fragmented and policy-dependent

oilprice.com