05-06-2025
Battery operated EVs can slash emissions by 38%: new study
A new study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds that battery electric vehicles (BEVs), consistently outperform internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in terms of life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Released on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5), a team led by Sunitha Anup from ICCT and Hemant Suman from IIT compared six previously conducted life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission assessments of passenger cars in India.
'It is one of the first meta-analyses of life-cycle GHG emissions for passenger vehicles in India, synthesizing six prominent studies to provide a comprehensive view of emission drivers and mitigation pathways,' researchers said. The study showed that BEVs in India emit up to 38% less CO2e per kilometre (kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilometre) compared to ICEVs in the passenger cars segment, with the potential for even greater savings if India's power grid becomes cleaner.
'We identified three key factors that significantly influence life-cycle assessment (LCA) outcomes. These include grid carbon intensity (the emissions from electricity used to power BEVs), test-cycle energy consumption (lab-based estimates of fuel and electricity use) and real-world energy consumption adjustment factor (how real-life conditions differ from lab tests),' Sunitha Anup, co-author of the research told The Indian Express.'Differences in grid mix and real-world driving conditions can swing life-cycle emissions by up to 368 g CO2e/km, which is roughly equivalent to adding the emissions of two to three petrol cars for every kilometre driven,' Namita Singh, another co-researcher of the study from ICCT said.
The report highlights how addressing emissions from India's passenger vehicle fleet is a critical step toward broader climate and sustainability goals. BEVs seem to be the clear winners in terms of emissions reduction potential, provided that the evolving grid mix is accurately considered and representative vehicle models are used. 'Their advantages are best captured when analyses avoid unrealistic energy consumption assumptions and reflect real-world performance,' researchers said. The study also warned against delaying BEV adoption in anticipation of a cleaner grid. 'ICE vehicles purchased today will remain on the roads for 10-15 years, emitting consistently, while BEVs emissions benefit from gradual grid improvements,' study researchers observed.
Meanwhile the study has outlined actionable strategies for policymakers which include accelerating BEV adoption in parallel with continued grid decarbonization efforts, while accounting for regional grid variations. Strengthen fuel efficiency standards and enforce real-world adjustment factors to close the gap between lab results and on-road performance are also among the recommendations. 'Electric vehicles are more efficient than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and become increasingly cleaner as India's power grid decarbonizer. Delaying the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) risks locking in long-term emissions from ICE vehicles,' Amit Bhatt, India Managing Director, ICCT also said.
