Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had a 'fantastic' conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of his US state visit. The PM invited him to explore investment opportunities in India.

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Musk said he was incredibly excited about the future of India and it has more promise than any other large country in the world. "The PM really cares about India because he is pursuing us to make a significant investment in India," he said, adding that he was a "big fan of Modi".

The ministry of external affairs in a statement said the PM appreciated Musk's efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. The PM invited Musk to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and the rapidly-expanding commercial space sector," the statement said.

Musk said PM Modi wants to be supportive of new companies but at the same time wants to ensure it accrues to India's advantage which he said is understandable.

The PM, on his Twitter handle, said the Tesla CEO and had multi-faceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality.

Great meeting you today @elonmusk! We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality. https://t.co/r0mzwNbTyN pic.twitter.com/IVwOy5SlMV

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023

Musk said he thinks India is great for solar energy investment. He said he tentatively plans to visit India next year.

The Tesla CEO said he is confident his EV company will be in India. "We will do so as soon as possible," he said, adding that he is hopeful something will be announced in the not-so-distant future. We don't want to jump the gun on an announcement but it is likely that there will be a significant investment in the relationship with India," he said.

Musk is also looking at setting up Starlink Internet services in India. "The services can connect rural towns which either do not have connectivity or have expensive Internet," he said.

He also spoke about sustainable energy and how it has great potential in India. "There is a great amount of potential in all three pillars of sustainable energy future in India - Sustainable energy generation through solar and wind which is very doable, you need battery packs and thirdly, electric vehicles," he said, adding that sustainable energy vehicles are lower cost vehicles.

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First Published:Jun 21, 2023 5:12 AM IST