Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal visited the Tesla factory in California on Tuesday. However, the much-awaited meeting between Goyal and the head of the electric vehicle maker Elon Musk did not take place.
Piyush Goyal at the US Tesla factory. (X/Piyush Goyal) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
“I am thrilled to see talented Indian engineers and finance professionals working in leadership roles and contributing to Tesla’s remarkable journey to transform mobility,” Goyal wrote on X after visiting Tesla’s manufacturing facility in Fremont, California.
The minister praised “the growing importance of auto component suppliers from India in the Tesla electric vehicle supply chain.”
“It is on track to double its component imports from India,” he wrote.
Piyush Goyal is in San Francisco to attend the ministerial meetings of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Tesla CEO Musk would likely meet with Goyal to discuss the company’s plans to set up a factory in India. .
“I missed Elon Musk’s magnetic presence and wish him a speedy recovery,” Goyal wrote.
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“It was an honor to visit you at Tesla! “I apologize for not being able to travel to California today, but I look forward to meeting at a later date,” billionaire Musk responded to the post.
The government plans to offer tax breaks on the import of finished electric vehicles for a period of up to five years. It is seen as an attempt to persuade companies like Tesla Inc. to sell and eventually manufacture their cars in the country, where the electric vehicle market is still in its early stages.
Also read: Government considers five-year tax cuts on electric vehicle imports to woo Elon Musk’s Tesla
According to BloombergNEF, electric vehicles accounted for less than 1.5 percent of total car sales last year. The high cost of cars, lack of options and the need to develop charging stations pose obstacles to the world’s most populous country’s transition to cleaner energy.
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