The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, joined the Inaugural Session of the National MAHA EV Mission Summit 2026 on 30 July 2026. He was joined by Shri Dhiraj Srivastava, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Power, Government of India; Dr Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF); and Dr T. Thangaradjou, Programme Director, ANRF MAHA-EV Mission. In his address, Prof. Sood spoke of the significant progress made in electric mobility over the past decade, driven by enabling policy incentives, growing industrial participation and increasing consumer awareness and adoption of electric vehicles. He emphasised that India’s focus must now increasingly shift from technology adoption to technology leadership. He highlighted that the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, through the collaborative efforts of its Consultative Group on e-Mobility (CGeM) Working Group and multiple knowledge partners, developed the e-Mobility R&D Roadmap for India in July 2024. He noted that the e-Mobility R&D Roadmap and the ANRF MAHA-EV Mission together provide a long-term vision and strategic framework for strengthening India’s electric mobility ecosystem and advancing indigenous innovation. Looking ahead, Prof. Sood encouraged participants to actively engage in the deliberations at MEMS 2026. He underscored the importance of inter-ministerial convergence, industry partnerships, and e-Node technology reviews in strengthening collaboration and accelerating the translation of research across Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). He further highlighted the need to advance innovations from laboratory research to proof-of-concept, while aligning research with market needs, and supporting the future productisation, and adoption of indigenous EV technologies.