Great policies for EV growth by Indian states, but they are going nowhere, finds study

The new findings by Consulting and capacity-building initiative Climate Trends found gaps in implementation, leading to slower on-ground impact.

Representative Image

New Delhi: Of the 36 states and Union Territories, 26 have released favourable policies for the growth of electric vehicles (EV) in the country, but none of them are on track, a study has revealed.

Consulting and capacity-building initiative Climate Trends observed that many states had formulated policies in the last five years taking advantage of the “early success of e-mobility in India”.

Its study, “Analysis of State Electric Vehicle Policies and Their Impact”, assessed the comprehensiveness of these state policies based on 21 parameters that covered target and budget allocations, demand side and manufacturing incentives, focus on fleet electrification, charging infrastructure and job creation.

But none of the states were on track to meet their targets of EV penetration, charging infrastructure or investments, the study found.

Director of Climate Trends Aarti Khosla wrote: “Our study shows that few state policies have comprehensive designs which balance EV sales, manufacturing and overall ecosystem growth. There are gaps in implementation, leading to slower on-ground impact, which need to be addressed through better regulation, improved monitoring, mechanisms and capacity building of stakeholders across the policy value chain.”

The study found that Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab offered the widest range of Climate Trends parameters while Arunachal, Manipur, Himachal offered the least.

Only nine states have mandated the creation of charging infrastructure in residential buildings and commercial areas, and eight had specific targets of electrification of fleet such as last-mile delivery vehicles, aggregator of cabs etc, the study found.

Eight states released their targets before 2020 and none of them have followed through, the study revealed. These states were Andhra, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi.

The study found EV penetration below target, electrification of public transport lagging, slow charging infrastructure growth and no progress on green zones.