In Coimbatore, a city that manufactured one of India’s first homemade diesel engines, K. Rajesh finds himself at a crossroads as automakers rush to produce more electric vehicles (EVs).
The boss of a local auto-component manufacturing firm in southern Tamil Nadu state, Rajesh is part of a supply chain that industry experts say will be shaken up as India accelerates its transition to EVs, to help meet its climate goals.
“For small players like me, the rise of EVs means business will go down,” said Rajesh, who runs Autotech Engineers, a factory that makes parts for two-wheelers.
