Can Babu Grab This Ev Startup?

CM Chandrababu Naidu is actively pursuing investment opportunities that have emerged for the AP government soon after the TDP+ government took office. Yesterday, Naidu met with senior management from BPCL to discuss plans for attracting investments ranging from Rs. 60,000 to 70,000 crore to establish an oil refinery in AP.

Now, another investment opportunity has arisen for AP, this time from an Electric Vehicle manufacturing company called “River,” based in Bengaluru.

The Bengaluru-based startup ‘River’ specialises in electric vehicles and is in talks with the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to establish a factory spanning 25-50 acres with the capacity to manufacture 500,000 electric scooters.

Given the fierce competition from Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, Naidu will need to leverage all his expertise and experience to attract the company to AP. His pro-investment approach will face a significant test here.

Previously, Naidu successfully attracted the automobile giant KIA to AP, which remains one of the state’s landmark investments. If CM Babu can secure another automobile startup for AP, particularly a sustainable manufacturer like River, it would generate positive publicity for the new TDP+ government.