[Update] Tesla CEO Elon Musk To Visit India Later This Year

Update | April 19, 11:35 PM

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Elon Musk, the CEO of EV maker Tesla today said that he plans to visit India later this year.

“It was an honor to speak with PM Modi. I am looking forward to visiting India later this year!” said Musk in a post on X. 

Original | April 18, 03:28 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that he spoke to Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk and discussed potential for collaboration in technology and innovation.

After the conversation, Modi posted on X, “Spoke to @elonmusk and talked about various issues, including the topics we covered during our meeting in Washington DC earlier this year. We discussed the immense potential for collaboration in the areas of technology and innovation. India remains committed to advancing our partnerships with the US in these domains.”

This also comes amid negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between India and the US.

Modi met Musk in February, during his two-day visit to the US. After the meeting, Modi said that he had discussed various issues related to space, mobility, technology and innovation. 

This comes at a time when two of Musk-led companies, Starlink and Tesla, are looking to enter the Indian market.

Yesterday (April 17) commerce minister Piyush Goyal met senior executives of satellite communication (satcom) operator Starlink to discuss the company’s future investment plan in India. The company’s satcom licence application is currently in the final stage of approval. 

However, Starlink had multiple bumps on its way to India. In January, the company entered into a new regulatory trouble after the Indian forces recovered Starlink’s satellite internet devices from drug smugglers and insurgents in Manipur and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Later, the government directed the Musk-led company to comply with new mandates, including establishing a control centre in the country. On the other hand, homegrown telecom giants including Bharti Airtel and Jio inked pacts with SpaceX to provide Starlink’s satellite-based internet services to its customers in India.

Besides, Tesla has also faced several obstacles, including high import tariffs to enter the Indian market. Earlier this month, India agreed to “significantly” cut tariffs on import of electric vehicles (EVs). Now, the automaker has started the process of homologation for at least two of its electric car models and finalised showroom locations in India.