India, Canada Discuss EV Batteries and Critical Mineral Partnerships

India and Canada have held high-level bilateral talks focused on strengthening cooperation in electric vehicles, battery manufacturing and clean mobility. The discussions, held in New Delhi, centred on securing supply chains for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements that are essential for large-scale EV production.

ArrayThe meeting was led by India’s Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson. Kumaraswamy underlined India’s growing importance as one of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturing hubs. He highlighted the impact of the FAME-II scheme, which has supported the adoption of over 1.6 million electric vehicles and helped establish more than 10,900 public charging stations across the country. He also pointed to an incentive programme worth nearly US$2 billion aimed at building domestic advanced chemistry cell manufacturing capacity.

Hodgson described India as a key player in battery technology and clean mobility solutions, expressing Canada’s readiness to share advanced battery expertise with Indian partners. He also indicated Canada’s interest in expanding access to Indian markets as part of deeper industrial collaboration.

The talks explored potential joint frameworks for battery cell and component manufacturing, research and development of next-generation battery technologies, and collaboration on testing, certification and sustainable manufacturing processes. In addition, India’s National Mineral Development Corporation is evaluating coal reserves in Canada to support India’s steel manufacturing requirements, signalling a broader scope of industrial cooperation between the two countries.

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