SoftBank to launch project for e-vehicles in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD:

SoftBank

chairman and CEO

Masayoshi Son

has agreed to launch a pilot project on electric vehicles in Hyderabad. Minister for information technology K T Rama Rao, who is on a visit to Japan, met with Masayoshi Son, and on Wednesday described the meeting as a 'good and fruitful' one.

The minister discussed a wide range of issues with Masayoshi Son including renewable energy, innovation, start-ups and electric vehicles. The minister invited SoftBank's chairman to the city as a guest of honour for an '

Invest

Telangana' event to be organised in November this year.

During his visit to India last December, Masayoshi Son had expressed a desire to introduce one million electric cars on Indian roads and Wednesday's discussions were to that end. These cars, he said, would be made in India as part of the 'Make in India' initiative. It may be mentioned here that SoftBank, the Japanese telecom company, has a stake in cab service aggregator Ola, that is used in the city.

Son decision to launch electric cars on city roads may help reduce pollution levels that have been soaring. The

Central Pollution Control Board

(CPCB) bulletin on January 24, on the air quality index for 24 hours showed the index value at 183 with prominent pollution also known as particular matter being PM2.5. This data was got from three monitoring stations. This level of pollution, according to the board, can cause breathing discomfort to people with lung-related ailments, asthma and heart diseases.

Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.