The Indian Express ·
Economy, business and finance
Knowledge Nugget: What NITI Aayog’s Electric Mobility Index 2025 says about states and UTs
Which state/UT tops the India Electric Mobility Index 2025? How do charging infrastructure, EV adoption and innovation shape the rankings? What does the index reveal about India’s electric mobility transition and the barriers that remain? Here's all you need to know.
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your UPSC Current Affairs knowledge nugget for today on India Electric Mobility Index 2025.
🚨As we mark the 3rd anniversary of the UPSC Essentials Magazine, we thank our readers for being part of this journey. Your trust, feedback and continued support have shaped the magazine and encouraged us to keep improving with every edition. Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for September 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or write to us at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com.🚨
On September 16, NITI Aayog released the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, which assesses the development of the e-mobility ecosystem and the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) on Indian roads. Let’s know about the index and its key highlights.
1. IEMI is a composite Index, which assesses the policy framework and implementation outcomes for e-mobility at the state-level. It is a first-of-its kind index that offers a dynamic comparative analysis of the progress of road transport electrification across Indian states and union territories.
2. NITI Aayog developed the index in collaboration with WRI India. The index tracks 16 unique performance indicators under three thematic categories– Transport Electrification Progress (weightage of 50%) , Charging Infrastructure Readiness (30% weightage), and EV Research & Innovation Status (20% weightage)– that form the building blocks of the Indian e-mobility ecosystem.
3. IEMI score is the composite of the three themes, evaluated for each state or union territory. The scores are updated annually, reflecting the results of quarterly assessments.
4. According to the Electric Mobility Index 2025, the composite scores on performance across all 36 States and Union Territories (UTs) ranges from 10 to 84, and a median score of 40.
5. Delhi has topped Electric Mobility Index with the score of 84. It is followed by Maharashtra (score 78) and Karnataka (score 73), the only two of the 17 large states to feature among the top performers in EV implementation, according to the report.
6. When compared to the 2024 index, Delhi and Maharashtra maintained the top two positions, while Karnataka moved to the third place after overtaking Chandigarh, while Goa climbed ten spots to secure fifth position. Notably, Madhya Pradesh recorded a substantial improvement, moving from the 23rd to seventh rank.
7. The index further shows that eight large states — Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh — have qualified as frontrunners, meaning they scored 50-64 out of 100.
8. The other seven large states such as Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Kerala, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Gujarat were emerging performers with a score of 35-49.
9. The report also shows that Delhi, Chandigarh, and Maharashtra were the only UTs and states to qualify as top performers in transport electrification progress, which is assigned the highest weightage of 50% in index calculation. It evaluates market absorption, consumer acceptance, and demand-side momentum by measuring how effectively EVs are being adopted and supported across the states.
10. In the Charging Infrastructure Readiness (30% weightage), Karnataka recorded the highest score nationwide at 97, closely followed by Goa (92) and Maharashtra (91). This captures charger-to-vehicle ratio, subsidies for charging infrastructure, building bye laws for charging, power availability among other metrics.
11. Delhi also achieved the top score of 94 in the EV Research and Innovation Status (20% weightage) category. This covers EV startups, research and development initiatives, as well as patents.
12. In India, the EV transition has gained momentum over the years. According to the report, by 2025-26, EV penetration, or share of EVs in total vehicles registered reached 8.25%, up from 0.5% in 2018.
13. In 2025-26, over 8.7 million EVs were running on roads. Close to 2.5 million EVs were registered during 2025-26 alone, with a rise of about 25% over the previous financial year.
14. The two-wheelers accounted for most at 1.3 million units, followed by passenger three-wheelers, while passenger cars held a modest and rising share.
15. Commercial goods vehicles saw the sharpest growth across the electric light, medium and heavy-duty segments, where their share climbed from 0.6% in 2024 to 1.4% in 2025. E-bus adoption in India has also gained momentum since 2021.
16. Notably, the report said the limited charging infrastructure, dispersed settlements and a nascent innovation ecosystem are some of the identified barriers to progress.
The Government of India has set a target to achieve 30% EV penetration by 2030, aligning with the global EV30@30 initiative. Notably, India aims to cut the economy’s carbon intensity to below 45% by 2030 and ultimately transform into a net-zero nation by 2070.
1. Production Linked Incentives (PLI) for Automobile and Auto Component Industry in India (PLI-Auto): Launched in April 2020, the PLI scheme provides financial incentives to boost domestic manufacturing of Advanced Automotive Technology (AAT) products with minimum 50% Domestic Value Addition (DVA) and attract investments in the automotive manufacturing value chain.
2. e-AMRIT: It is a web portal on EVs which was launched at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow. Developed by NITI Aayog, the portal provides information on EV adoption, purchase, investment opportunities, policies, and subsidies.
3. PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-Drive): It was launched on October 1, 2024 to replace previous flagship initiatives such as the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) policy, which expired in March, and the three-month Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS), which ended on September 30, 2024. It provides upfront incentives for purchase and supporting the installation of critical EV charging infrastructure.
4. PM e-Bus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) Scheme: It was approved last year with an outlay of Rs. 3,435.33 crore, for procurement and operation of e-buses by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs). The scheme will support deployment of more than 38,000 electric buses in the country.
Consider the following statements regarding the India Electric Mobility Index 2025:
1. Transport Electrification Progress carries the highest weightage in the index.
2. Delhi recorded the highest score in EV Research and Innovation Status.
3. Karnataka recorded the highest score in Charging Infrastructure Readiness.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(d)
(Sources: iemi.niti.gov.in, Delhi leads NITI Aayog index: ‘Only three’ top performers in EV adoption)
