Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is developing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles along the highways.

Addressing an event virtually, the road transport minister further said the automotive industry is going through a challenging phase due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and he is happy that it is now in a recovery mode.

"NHAI is also developing electric vehicle charging infrastructure along the highways to promote the use of electric vehicles," he said.

Gadkari pointed out that India''s auto sector contributes 7.1 per cent to the overall nation's GDP and 49 per cent of to the manufacturing GDP, with an annual turnover of Rs 7.5 lakh crore and export of Rs 3.5 lakh crore.

"I am happy to note that several global brands are entering India, as well as several local entrepreneurs are setting up large facilities to mass-produce electric vehicles," the minister said.

As per a report, Gadkari said electric two-wheeler sales in the country recently stood at 13,345 units for July 2021, witnessing a massive 229 per cent month-over-month jump and a year-over year leap in registrations of 836 per cent.

"This is extremely encouraging," he noted.

According to Gadkari, there is a massive response seen in the domestic market for electric scooters from new start-ups.

The minister emphasised that simultaneously research on developing long-life, low-cost, high-efficiency batteries and EV components is also the need of the hour.

"One of the solutions to reduce pollution from existing diesel buses is the use of retrofit technologies," he said.