Why NITI Aayog believes electric car goal may raise cyber-security risks

While China manufactures everything from a chip to a converter for its electric vehicles, Indian automakers use imported electronic equipment

India’s dependence on imported components for electric vehicles could make the country vulnerable to cyber-security breaches, according to the government’s chief policy think-tank.

India should manufacture the majority of the parts needed for its electric vehicle fleet as equipment shipped from overseas could be compromised, V K Saraswat, a member of the think tank, Niti Aayog, said in an interview. All of the software and at least 55 percent of the components need to be made domestically to keep electric vehicles and the grid secure.

“There has to be a push toward local manufacturing,” Saraswat said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s