A production line hums to life in Pune, and with it, Maharashtra's most explicit bid yet to become the electric vehicle manufacturing capital of India. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the production facilities of EKA Mobility and the Pinnacle Group in Pune on Friday, 31 October 2026, using the occasion to lay out an ambitious state-wide EV roadmap — from charging corridors on national highways to a demand target of 50,000 electric buses in three years.

What Fadnavis announced at the Pune launch

Speaking at the inauguration, CM Fadnavis declared that 'स्वच्छ आणि हरित वाहतूक व्यवस्था' ('clean and green mobility') is Maharashtra's primary priority on the road to a developed India. He said Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur are emerging as the three principal EV industry clusters in the state, and that Maharashtra will become the country's foremost EV manufacturing centre. The automobile sector, he noted, is a critical engine for job creation and the growth of ancillary industries.

Fadnavis called on state-based manufacturers to scale up production capacity to meet Maharashtra's own demand for 50,000 electric buses over the next three years — a signal that public-sector procurement will be a key demand driver, not just private buyers. He also committed affordable electricity rates for EV users and said the state would expand the share of green energy in its overall power generation mix.

A charging network blueprint for Maharashtra's highways

The Chief Minister announced that the state government has prepared a comprehensive charging infrastructure master plan. In partnership with vehicle manufacturers, a network of charging stations along major highways will be built — with the state taking responsibility for land allocation, permits, and basic infrastructure. It is a supply-side play designed to close the range-anxiety gap that has slowed EV adoption on inter-city routes.

The green-energy angle matters here: Fadnavis explicitly linked EV expansion to a higher share of renewable power in the state grid, underscoring that the climate case for EVs weakens if the electricity charging them still comes mostly from coal.

Pinnacle Group's 50% women workforce model draws praise

One detail stood out beyond the headline numbers. CM Fadnavis highlighted that 50 per cent of the workforce at one of the Pinnacle Group's new production facilities are women, trained specifically for manufacturing roles. He also commended the company's employee-as-shareholder model, calling it noteworthy. Together, these elements reframe the plant not just as an industrial project but as a template for inclusive manufacturing.

The dignitaries and the political weight of the event

The inauguration drew a heavyweight presence from both the state and central governments. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari — the country's most prominent champion of EV adoption — attended, as did Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, B.L. Santosh, and Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol. From the Maharashtra government, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar and Minister Chandrakant Patil were present. The industry side was represented by EKA Mobility founder and chairman Sudhir Mehta and Force Motors Ltd chairman Dr Abhay Firodia.

Gadkari's presence is particularly significant: as the architect of India's national EV push, his attendance signals that New Delhi views Maharashtra's manufacturing scale-up as central to the country's broader clean-mobility goals.

Maharashtra's race against Tamil Nadu and Gujarat

Maharashtra is not alone in this race. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have aggressively courted EV investments with rival incentive packages, and the competition for anchor manufacturers — and their supplier ecosystems — is intense. Maharashtra's Electric Vehicle Policy 2021 laid the groundwork with production-linked incentives; the Pune inaugurations this week are, in part, early proof that those incentives are converting into factory floors.

The state that wins the EV manufacturing race will not just claim jobs — it will shape where India's auto industry sits globally for the next two decades. Fadnavis is betting Pune's existing auto-cluster depth, combined with state-backed charging infrastructure and green power, gives Maharashtra the edge. The next checkpoint: whether local manufacturers actually hit the capacity needed to put 50,000 electric buses on Maharashtra's roads by 2029.