BYD and Tesla’s new battleground for EVs is India

EV giants BYD and Tesla are competing to crack the Indian car market — the world’s third largest, reported Business Insider. But both face steep import duties, and competition from local manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata Motors. India’s EV market will expand in the coming years, and electric car sales could possibly hit the mark of 2-3 million a year by 2030. Tesla has opened showrooms in Delhi and Mumbai, while BYD sold its 10,000th car in India this month.

EVs see uptick in Europe, but Tesla sees decline

In 2025, Europe saw an uptick in the sales of EVs by 26%. However, the Elon Musk-owned Tesla has been facing declining sales, according to a report, while other auto manufacturers are gaining ground. German car maker Volkswagen sold the most number of EVs in Europe in August, growing at a rate of 45% year-on-year. Tesla came in second place, with its sales reducing by 23% compared to last year. The third place went to another German brand BMW which grew by 7% year-on-year.

Investing in technology is key for India’s food security

Securing food and climate resilience, especially in agriculture, is possible only by investing in agri-tech and soil health, according to multiple experts quoted in a Mint report. This has to go hand-in-hand with reworking government policies, farm economics, and technology adoption so that resource poor farmers in remote areas can also benefit. According to the report, unsustainable farming exists in India today due to the artificial deflation of food prices. As alternatives, investing in technologies like hybrid inverters, affordable cooling systems, and innovative financing models can help farmers massively. 

High bank guarantee deters foreign EV manufacturers to make in India

While India harbours ambitions of a speedy transition to electric vehicles, the government’s intention of building a robust, domestic manufacturing base has not gained much traction from foreign EV makers. The reason, in part, is due to a significantly high bank guarantee, reported Mint. Manufacturers are necessitated to pay a bank guarantee of at least ₹4,150 crore, or equal to the amount of import duty foregone. So, even though India offers foreign automakers big duty cuts on cars fully built inside the country, it hasn’t worked till now. 

Battery gigafactories to be built in India by Tesla Group and SRAM & MRAM

Tesla Group, a leading battery energy storage systems maker, has tied up with the SRAM & MRAM Group, the technology and sustainable development giant, to build EV gigafactories in India and 15 other countries like the US, Malaysia, Oman, Brazil, the UAE, and Cambodia. According to PTI, the companies have struck a $1 billion deal to build five such gigafactories. 

India and Australia strengthen critical minerals partnership

In an effort to strengthen battery supply chains, and cut China’s dominance in the sector, India and Australia have boosted a partnership concerning critical minerals. Sanjiva de Silva, the Australian Government’s energy and resources Counsellor based in India, told ANI that both countries have progressed on this front. Projects have been identified, and India has also progressed to the final stages of the competitive process surrounding the process.

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