Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, has called for a transformative “UPI moment” for the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging ecosystem. He highlighted the need for an all-in-one Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) charging application that works seamlessly at home, in offices, around town, and on the road to accelerate EV adoption. Drawing parallels to India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Iyer proposed the creation of a unified app integrating multiple charging points, enabling users to charge vehicles and pay effortlessly across the country.
“The charging infrastructure is expanding with private players entering the space. However, the biggest challenge is the reliance on multiple apps for vehicle charging. While there are aggregators, the process remains cumbersome,” Iyer said during a fireside chat at the Green Bharat e-Mobility Summit, organized by Network18 in collaboration with Ola Electric Mobility. He emphasized the importance of a policy framework to streamline the ecosystem, allowing for a single app to locate chargers, book slots, and facilitate seamless payments.
Iyer noted that such an approach would alleviate the challenges associated with EV charging and cited the example of the Mercedes Me app offered to EV customers overseas. He added, “If a car can locate the right charger, book an appointment, and make payments on its own, the entire experience becomes seamless. With India’s strong digitalization push, the country has the potential to create a global charging framework.”
The Mercedes-Benz India head also addressed broader policy challenges, including India’s two-tier tax structure—GST and state road taxes, which vary between 18% and 20%. He urged the government to adopt a standardized EV policy, offering support until EVs achieve a significant market share, such as 30% of total sales. “Without consistent taxation policies, EV penetration will remain limited,” he stated.
Iyer further underscored the automotive industry’s responsibility to decarbonize, revealing the company’s ambition to achieve an all-electric fleet in select markets by 2030. However, he acknowledged that customer adoption rates remain slow, pointing to the need for coordinated efforts from governments, industry stakeholders, and consumers.
He also highlighted Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and reduced taxes on premium cars as avenues to boost EV exports from India. “To build world-class cars adhering to global standards, we need an open trading environment and a supportive taxation structure. This would enable scale and create opportunities for India to become an export hub,” he explained.
Finally, Iyer noted the instrumental role of Mercedes-Benz India’s R&D center in Bangalore in shaping the company’s global EV strategy. “Our software-defined cars and proprietary operating system are being developed by our team in Bangalore. The center is also contributing to AI-driven battery management systems and advanced safety technologies,” he said.