EVs, Energy, and Equity: How India Can Build a Future-Proof Mobility Model

The global mobility transition is not a race to catch up with the West. It’s an opportunity to lead differently. India has the chance to build an EV ecosystem that serves its people, strengthens its economy, and sets a new global model—one where innovation meets inclusion, and scale meets sustainability.

June 17, 2025. By News Bureau

Tags:

articles

EV vehicles

Electric Vehicles

Electric Vehicle Industry

EV ecosystem

Sustainability

Electric two-wheelers

Power plant

Rooftop solar systems

Thermal power plants

Emobi

Bharath Potulari

"Building our electric future isn't just about new vehicles; it's about lighting up every corner of India, one charge at a time." This sentiment feels particularly true when you look at the sheer scale of the transformation underway. Just last fiscal year, over 2 million electric vehicles were sold in India, pushing the total number on our roads past the 61.66 lakh mark. This isn't abstract growth; it's a 15.6 percent jump in one year, a visible acceleration in how people are choosing to travel. Walk down any street and you'll see the evidence: the ubiquitous electric two-wheelers, making up nearly 60 percent of EV sales and multiplying rapidly, and the familiar electric three-wheelers, a segment where India proudly stands as the world leader.

Clean Energy Must Power Clean Mobility

There’s a tendency to celebrate electric vehicles as inherently green, but the truth is, they’re only as clean as the energy that charges them. If EVs run on electricity pulled from coal-heavy grids, we’re merely shifting emissions from the tailpipe to the power plant. India’s energy mix still depends heavily on thermal power, and electricity access remains inconsistent across many regions.

That’s why we need a dual-track transition: one that electrifies transport and simultaneously greenifies the grid. A clean mobility future must be powered by renewable energy, whether through grid-fed solar, decentralised microgrids, or rooftop systems designed to support community charging hubs.

Additionally, India's electricity infrastructure wasn’t built for EV-scale load. Unplanned charging across urban centers could strain local grids and lead to inefficiencies or outages. We need smart charging infrastructure—stations that interact with the grid, distribute loads sensibly, and incorporate solar wherever possible. These systems must be co-created with power utilities and urban planners, not treated as disconnected hardware rollouts.

Rethinking Batteries Beyond the Global Rush

Globally, the surge in EV adoption has triggered a race for critical minerals—especially lithium, cobalt, and nickel. These minerals are often sourced from geopolitically volatile regions, raising concerns around supply chain security, environmental degradation, and human rights.

India must be cautious not to replicate this extractive model. We have the opportunity to invest in battery technologies that are better suited for our needs and realities. Sodium-ion batteries, for instance, show promising potential and rely on far more abundant materials. They're particularly well-suited for two- and three-wheelers, which dominate the Indian market.

Equally important is building a circular economy for batteries. Recycling and reuse must be integral to our design from day one. Today, India has the talent, research capacity, and entrepreneurship to lead in battery recycling, second-life applications, and alternate chemistries. If we act early, we can reduce dependence on volatile imports and build a more secure and ethical battery ecosystem.

Mobility Must Work for Everyone — Not Just the Privileged Few

In India, mobility is not a lifestyle choice; it's a means to livelihood. For millions of gig workers, small vendors, rural service providers, and informal economy participants, vehicles are central to their income. A transition that excludes them is not just unfair — it’s unworkable.

We must ensure that electric mobility is accessible to the people who need it most. That means small-format vehicles — two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, cargo loaders — that are rugged, affordable, and easy to maintain. Battery-swapping models can help lower upfront costs and reduce downtime, but these need thoughtful deployment and service networks to succeed.

Access to finance is another major barrier. Many EV users fall outside traditional credit scoring systems. Lenders must innovate—through income-based underwriting, vehicle-as-a-collateral models, and embedded financing within fleet operators—to ensure that people are not priced out of clean mobility.

It’s Time to Reframe What Performance Means

A lot of the global EV conversation is driven by numbers: top speed, battery range, 0-100 acceleration. But this language often misses what matters in India.

Our users care about whether a vehicle can handle bumpy village roads, carry produce to a mandi, or survive Delhi’s peak summer traffic. They care about how easy it is to charge, how long a battery lasts before needing replacement, and whether service support is available locally.

We must redefine performance around purpose. Does the vehicle improve income generation? Does it reduce fuel costs for a gig worker? Does it make commuting more comfortable for a teacher in a small town? These are the metrics that matter. Indian innovation must prioritise them, even if they don’t show up on global spec sheets.

A Just Transition Is Not Optional

In the rush to build a cleaner mobility future, we cannot ignore those whose livelihoods are embedded in the present one. Traditional ICE mechanics, small fuel retailers, spare parts vendors, and local service garages all risk being left behind if the shift is not managed thoughtfully.

India needs a just transition framework that helps these workers upskill, adapt, and thrive. There is enormous potential to convert local garages into EV service centers, to retrain mechanics for electric drivetrains, and to support parts suppliers in diversifying their offerings. This is where the government, industry, and skilling institutions must work together with urgency and empathy.

Policy Is the Compass, But Execution Is the Engine
Over the past few years, India's policy landscape for EVs has grown more robust. Schemes like FAME, state-level EV policies, and PLI incentives for manufacturing have laid a strong foundation. But policy alone won’t move the needle.

We need real coordination between ministries, utilities, urban bodies, and transport departments. We need data transparency around EV usage, grid stress points, and local demand. We need to involve communities in the planning of charging networks and vehicle design.

And most importantly, we need execution that’s agile and feedback-driven. Pilots should be scaled based on learnings, not politics. Financing schemes must reflect on-the-ground realities, not just boardroom assumptions.

Leading by Doing, Not by Catching Up
The global mobility transition is not a race to catch up with the West. It’s an opportunity to lead differently. India has the chance to build an EV ecosystem that serves its people, strengthens its economy, and sets a new global model—one where innovation meets inclusion, and scale meets sustainability.

This will require bold vision, but also humility. It will require public-private collaboration, but also grassroots engagement. It will require world-class technology, but even more importantly, empathy and intent.

The EV revolution is not just about what we drive. It’s about who gets to move forward—and how.

- Bharath Potulari, Co-Founder and CEO, EMOBI

If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content,
please contact: contact@energetica-india.net.

Next events

Renewable Energy India Expo 2025

October 30, 2025

The Renewable Energy India Expo (REI Expo) showcases India’s achievements in renewable energy and industry progress. In its remarkable 17th edition, the event brought together top brands and over 800 suppliers, featuring a diverse range of prod...

more information