India must map a broader route beyond EVs to meet net-zero ambitions, say industry leaders

Electric vehicles are slowly becoming mainstream in India’s net-zero plans, though industry leaders are still a little apprehensive about it. Speaking at the ETAuto EV Conclave 2025, policymakers and executives expressed considering electric vehicles and decarbonisation as synonymous is risky. Instead, they suggest India must explore a multi-pathway, well-to-wheel strategy, aligned with technology choices, grid decarbonisation, business viability and workforce readiness.

Vikram Gulati, Country Head and EVP for Corporate Affairs and Governance at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said decarbonisation must be assessed beyond the tailpipe. He pointed out that strong hybrids already deliver emissions of around 110 grams of CO₂, and with higher ethanol blending, figures can drop further to around 91 grams. In contrast, battery electric vehicles can record higher emissions when powered by coal-heavy grids. He pointed out that even after 15 per cent of EV penetration in the market by 2030, 85 per cent will be non-EV. Hence, he said that strong hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and BEVs should be considered as complementary tools.

PMI Electro chief executive Aanchal Jain underpinned that electric buses could also be climate positive and commercially viable if duty cycles and contracts are structured with care. Although the burden of higher initial costs and battery replacement midway through a vehicle’s life is there, predictable payment mechanisms help balance this. Government-backed gross cost contracts, she added, have played a decisive role in speeding up adoption, much as policy support did for the solar sector.

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ACMA Director General Vinnie Mehta said Indian component makers are clearly pivoting towards new energy. While the ICE market still shapes investments, most Tier-1 suppliers are now EV-ready, with many using strong balance sheets and family office funds to back startups and emerging clean technologies.

Commercial freight electrification has been a complex premise because replacing diesel trucks with any EV alternatives won’t be a simple swap, said Billion Electric Mobility CEO Sanjeev Kulkarni. Since these vehicles operate in heavy-duty segments, EV’s success still depends on route engineering, detailed simulations, two-way load planning, charging redundancy, and grid availability, with uptime ultimately deciding whether electric trucks can scale.

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India’s net-zero mobility goals demand a plural approach, not an EV-only push, opined industry veterans in the conclave. Proposals from various sectors stress transforming e-commerce hubs into public charging points, which will promote ultra-light e-bikes with operating costs of about INR 7 paise (USD 0.0008) per kilometer. In fact, aligning circular batteries, clean energy, and interoperable standards across all vehicle segments will help India achieve its net-zero ambitions.