Government of Telangana and University of California, Davis Partner to Drive Zero Emission Vehicle Research and Knowledge Exchange

The India Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Research Centre at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis signed an MoU with the Government of Telangana on 22 May, 2023 in San Francisco, California. The MoU will support the Telangana state government’s vision of providing its people with cost effective and environmentally sustainable mobility options with an aim to drive economic growth.

The India ZEV Research Centre at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis signed a 2-year MoU with the Department of Industries, Government of Telangana, with the aim to create a comprehensive ZEV plan that will foster economic growth and development through clean road transport transitions in Telangana, making it the go-to destination for national and global vehicle manufacturers. While India is the third-largest light-duty vehicle market globally, the State of Telangana contributes 7% of India’s three-wheeler sales, 5% of passenger vehicle sales, and 4% of two-wheeler sales. The state’s progressive EV Policy which was released in 2020 has a target 500,000 EVs by 2030.

This partnership builds upon the existing collaboration between the State of Telangana and the State of California on alternative energy and innovation. Both states have also endorsed the Global MoU on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles, strengthening their commitment towards decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors. The MoU will facilitate collaborative activities, including policy research and design to accelerate clean transport transitions in Telangana, knowledge-sharing platform for policymakers and industry, showcasing Telangana's best practices in ZEV adoption to the international community, and building institutional capacities to support ZEV transitions.

Speaking about the partnership, Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary to Govt., Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana, stated, "California has been a global leader in ZEV policy. This MoU signifies a step forward in our journey towards sustainable mobility and achieving our vision of becoming a ZEV Champion State. By leveraging the expertise of ITS Davis, we aim to develop innovative solutions, strengthen policy frameworks, and create a vibrant industry-research-government ecosystem for ZEVs in Telangana. We also launched the Telangana Mobility Valley in February 2023, as a unique new-mobility focused cluster, to create best in class infrastructure and provide end-to-end ecosystem support in the transition to sustainable transport."

Dr Daniel Sperling, Founding Director, ITS-Davis stated, “We are very excited with this partnership. The Government of Telangana is the first state to come onboard of the larger sub-national cooperation that the India ZEV Centre aims to establish by partnering with Indian states. As a premier university research centre on transportation, this is an opportunity to create strong impact globally, setting the pathway for an inclusive and equitable transition to sustainable   mobility.” Aditya Ramji, Director of the India ZEV Research Centre at ITS Davis, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “With Telangana being both an automotive manufacturing hub and a large market for vehicle demand, positive market signals through policy can not only improve EV adoption but also create a feedback loop for investments in the EV ecosystem within the state.”

For more information, please reach out to Mr VC Gopalakrishnan, Director (Automotive and EV Sector), Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Telangana (dir-automtv-ind@telangana.gov.in), and, Mr Aditya Ramji, Director, India ZEV Research Center, University of California Davis (adiramji@ucdavis.edu) and Swati Dsouza, Program Manager, India ZEV Centre, University of California Davis (s_dsouza@outlook.com).