Tesla files for regulatory approval of two EVs in India

Advancing its plans for the Indian market, Tesla has begun seeking regulatory approval from local authorities. The company has started the process to homologate its EVs, reinforcing speculation about its long-awaited India launch.

According to a report from IANS, Tesla has submitted new homologation applications for the Model 3 and Model Y in India. The company no longer manufactures the Model X and Model S in right-hand drive, and while it never developed a right-hand version of the Cybertruck, the electric pickup truck would have limited appeal anyway due to narrow roads and the low popularity of its body style in India.

Tesla previously submitted seven homologation applications for test mules in India, and recently, the government approved an eighth application, as per the report. The article did not specify whether the company submitted the two new applications for prototypes or commercial-intent units, but other recent developments suggest the latter is more likely.

Last month, Tesla signed a five-year lease agreement for a 4,003-square-foot showroom in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), an upscale central business district in Mumbai (Maharashtra) in the western part of the country. Reports say the company is planning a retail outlet even in the national capital, Delhi, covering the north.

At a later stage, Tesla may establish a presence in Bengaluru (Karnataka), capturing India’s south. According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, it manages its Indian operations from the same city through a subsidiary called ‘Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited,’ which it incorporated in 2021. The name indicates Tesla is looking beyond electric cars in India and exploring the country’s booming renewable energy industry with its various solutions like Megapack, Powerwall, solar panels, and solar roofs.

That Tesla was looking to enter India soon was first reported last month, following a meeting between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in February.

According to a recent CNBC-TV18 report, Tesla may launch EVs in India by June. The company is waiting to see if India will reduce tariffs on imported cars due to the increasing pressure from the U.S. government and as part of a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU.

Tesla does not plan to manufacture EVs in India at the moment, but that could change once it introduces the rumoured compact EV positioned below the Model 3 and Model Y later this year. In an earlier report, CNBC-TV18 said that the company will import EVs from Germany, where it only manufactures the Model Y currently but is likely to build the upcoming more affordable EV as well.

ians.in (Homologation applications), cnbctv18.com