German envoy smashes coconut, ties 'nimbu-mirchi' to his new EV

New Delhi [India], October 16 : German Ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann switched to Electric Vehicle with sustainability in mind, and marked the occasion with Indian customs and rituals as he smashed a coconut and tied 'nimbu-mirchi' (lemon and chili) to his new car.
The ritual is believed to ward off evil spirits.
Ackermann said that as the pollution in Delhi increases during winters, he switched to EV to "contribute" in reducing it.
"Germany and India are committed to a mutual partnership, which is called the partnership agreement to sustainable development... In winter time, pollution gets really bad and I felt that we should do contribution to reduce pollution. I wanted to have an EV and that is why my HQ accepted after a while that we get a new car which is an e-Car and therefore reduces pollution. That was the main aim," he said.
Earlier on October 12, Ackermann expressed his happiness over the launch of the Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) in Delhi and said the organisation will push the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between India and Europe.
Talking to ANI, Ackermann said that the launch of FEBI in Delhi is an important step as Europe plays an important role in the Indian business ecosystem.
"It's a great moment. I think FEBI is a very, very interesting network. It is now a network that has over a hundred companies from Europe, and it's an umbrella organization of all the bilateral chambers of commerce. And I think in the time where Europe play an always more and bigger role in India, it is a very, very interesting and important network. In the near future, we will see FEBI being very active in very many fields, not least also when it comes to the FTA negotiations between India and the EU," the German Ambassador said.