Modi Meets Musk, Plans to Bring Tesla and Starlink to India

“I’m a fan of Modi,” said Twitter owner and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to the US and Egypt to meet the top officials in various fields. Musk expressed his views about expanding Tesla factories in India. “I am confident Tesla will be in India and we will do so as soon as humanly possible.”

"It was a fantastic meeting with the Prime Minister and I like him quite a lot. He visited our factory a few years ago. So, we have known each other for a while," he said.

Musk appreciates Modi’s plans and openness in supporting new companies and investments in India. Though hesitantly, he revealed his plans about a likely investment in India. "We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement but I think it is quite likely it will be a significant investment in our relationship with India," he said.

“India has the potential for all three pillars of a sustainable energy future,” said Musk, talking about how solar and wind energy can be the best bet given the vast swathes of land in India. “Just one or two percent of land of India can power the whole country making the country more sustainable. Then all you need is batteries and electric vehicles to make the whole thing sustainable,” said Musk, adding how this setup could also be cost beneficial for the country.

Moreover, Musk also wants to bring Starlink, the mobile internet constellation operated by SpaceX, to India. He said that it could be beneficial for connectivity in the rural areas of the country.

Modi visited the Tesla factory in 2015, and is meeting Musk for the second time now. Tesla executives visited India in May this year to hold meetings with ministers and government officials regarding manufacturing batteries and bases for cars. Musk had shown interest in setting up a factory in India by the end of the year, though, due to the high import tax in India, Tesla had to shelve its plans last year.