EV switch, ‘consumer affairs issues’: Minister Prahlad Joshi reveals what he discussed with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday said he had asked Uber to play a greater role in helping drivers and fleet owners switch to electric vehicles, adding that the move aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader push to promote clean mobility.

Speaking on the sidelines of the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, the minister stated that the talks with Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, also covered consumer-related issues, according to an ANI report.

What did Prahlad Joshi say?

"He had come to meet me. I have told him two things. Being one of the largest networks, I have requested him and insisted to him that he should support the people, the drivers and the owners of the Uber fleet to convert into EV vehicles," Joshi stated.

Joshi said the meeting also covered consumer affairs issues and the need to comply with government directives designed to safeguard consumer interests. He further referred to PM Modi's call to promote the use of solar pumps and expand the adoption of renewable energy.

"There were some issues related to consumer affairs. We told them that consumer interest is paramount. They have agreed and said they will self-audit everything and come back to us," he stated.

“PM spoke about solar pumps and also about EVs. As far as solar pumps are concerned, we have already given a major push under the PM Kusum scheme," Joshi added.

He noted that the government has launched PM-KUSUM 2.0 to broaden the scope of the programme.

Joshi said that charging electric vehicles during the day using electricity generated from rooftop solar systems can substantially lower operating expenses.

"And EVs too, when charged during daytime through rooftop solar, then the cost per mile is so attractive that nobody will shift to regular vehicles," he remarked.

Addressing participants at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, the minister also said that India remains well-positioned despite global uncertainties and highlighted the country’s continued advances in the energy sector.

"India is quite safe in the current world circumstances," he stated.

Joshi said India’s installed renewable energy capacity has reached 288 GW, with the government aiming to increase it to 500 GW by 2030.

He noted that the country recently met a peak electricity demand of 256 GW without disruption, contrasting it with the widespread power outage in North India in July 2012, when demand had touched 123 GW.

Joshi added that, despite reports of a 7% decline in global renewable energy investments, India continues to attract robust investment in the sector.

(With inputs from ANI)