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A recent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has found that Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in India emit up to 38 per cent less carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) per kilometer compared to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles in the passenger car segment.
However, the study also highlights that three key factors—grid carbon intensity, laboratory test assumptions, and real-world driving conditions—collectively account for nearly 75 per cent of the variability in car emissions.
This research is one of the first meta-analyses of life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for passenger vehicles in India, synthesising six prominent studies to provide a comprehensive view of emission drivers and mitigation pathways.
The analysis synthesises findings from six previously conducted life cycle GHG emission assessments of passenger cars in India. It identifies that differences in grid mix and efficiency can cause emissions to vary by up to 368 grams of CO₂e per kilometre. This variation is equivalent to the carbon footprint of driving two to three petrol cars for every kilometre.
The study emphasised that BEVs consistently outperform ICE and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) in terms of life cycle GHG emissions. Their advantages are best captured when analyses avoid unrealistic energy consumption assumptions and reflect real-world performance. The research warned against delaying BEV adoption in anticipation of a cleaner grid, as ICE vehicles purchased today will remain on the roads for 10-15 years, emitting consistently, while BEVs benefit from gradual grid improvements.
The study also highlighted the discrepancy between laboratory test-cycle and real-world fuel use in HEVs, noting that applying real-world correction factors is crucial for accurate emissions accounting. BEVs consistently demonstrate the highest energy efficiency in practice. Stringent fuel efficiency standards and real-world adjustment factors, especially for BEVs where charging losses are often overlooked, are crucial to ensuring cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles on Indian roads.
Furthermore, the study pointed out that many assessments fail to include land-use change in their evaluations, underestimating emissions from biofuels. For instance, diesel production emissions varied widely from 8 to 22 grams of CO₂ per kilometre, depending on whether land-use change was considered.
To address these issues, the study outlined actionable strategies for policymakers, including accelerating BEV adoption in parallel with continued grid decarbonisation efforts, strengthening fuel efficiency standards, mandating on-board fuel and energy consumption meters (OBFCMs) to improve transparency and data accuracy across all vehicle types, and incorporating land-use change impacts in biofuel life-cycle assessments to avoid underestimating their environmental cost.
Amit Bhatt, India Managing Director at ICCT, emphasised the importance of BEVs in reducing emissions, stating, “Electric vehicles are more efficient than ICE vehicles and become increasingly cleaner as India’s power grid decarbonises. Delaying the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) risks locking in long-term emissions from ICE vehicles.”
Meanwhile, Sunitha Anup, researcher at ICCT and co-author of the research, recommended that future life-cycle assessments in India account for the evolving electricity grid over a vehicle’s lifetime, real-world energy use, and land-use emissions from biofuels to better inform clean transport policies. She noted, “It shows that what we assume today shapes the climate impact tomorrow.”
Additionally, Namita Singh, researcher at ICCT and co-author of the research, added, “India’s road transport decarbonisation pathway toward its net-zero target is incomplete without the accelerated adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). To fully realise their emissions reduction potential, assessments must account for the evolving grid mix and reflect the government’s ongoing efforts to decarbonise the electricity sector.”