Electric transportation action plan for India

Abstract

After almost 70-years after independence in 1947, India stands at the deterministic crossroads of economic growth and energy needs for over a billion people, while facing challenges to lower carbon emissions and to improve energy security. India's transportation sector growth is one of the major contributors of deteriorating air quality in the urban cities, accounting for 30% of the total fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions. India is taking significant policy initiatives to leapfrog and transform electric vehicle (EV) adoption to embrace a tryst with electric transportation. India's National Electricity Mobility Mission (NEMM) Plan 2020 outlines an ambitious target to deploy six to seven million hybrid and EVs. Through stakeholder feedback and qualitative and quantitative analysis, this paper reviews goals and objectives of India's policies, their associated challenges experienced by the Indian ministries, and suggests the action plan, which is unique to the Indian context, to accelerate EVs and EV charging infrastructure, and technology development and deployment to meet the NEMM targets. This first-of-its-kind analyses for India can accelerate EV adoption, open innovation opportunities for both transportation and electric industry, and support energy security and improved urban air-quality objectives.