Delhi tops NITI Aayog's India Electric Mobility Index 2025

The brief

Context

The India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, the second edition of a ranking prepared by WRI India with NITI Aayog, measures how far states and Union territories have moved towards an electric mobility transition, using data from January to December 2025. It was released at a NITI Aayog workshop on state EV policies in Delhi, where officials linked EV adoption to India's crude oil import dependence and the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Delhi topped the index with 84 points and is also pushing its EV Policy 2.0, for which it has asked the Supreme Court to release unused environmental compensation charge (ECC) funds.

Key facts

• Delhi topped IEMI 2025 with a score of 84; Maharashtra 78, Karnataka 73, Chandigarh 71 and Goa 65 followed.
• Manipur scored highest (46) among hilly and northeastern states.
• 29 of India's 36 states and UTs have notified EV policies, as per the index.
• The top score rose from 77 in the first IEMI to 84, and the median score from 36 to 40.
• Madhya Pradesh gained 16 places, from 23rd (score 31) to seventh (score 59); Goa rose 10 to fifth, Puducherry 10 to 17th, Bihar 8 to 18th, J&K 7 to 27th, Assam 3 to 24th.
• As of February 2026 Delhi operated 4,286 electric buses, India's largest e-bus fleet; it was also the first state to subsidise electric cycles.
• Delhi's EV Policy 2.0 mandates 100% electrification of autorickshaws and light commercial vehicles from January 2027 and two-wheelers from January 2028 - a first in India.
• Delhi's EV Policy 2.0 earmarks Rs 4,000 crore in subsidies and incentives over four years; the transport department needs over Rs 1,000 crore a year.

Timeline

1. January to December 2025Data period on which IEMI 2025 assessment is based.
2. September 16 (HT report)Reported that 60%, or more than Rs 1,153 crore, of environmental compensation charge collected in Delhi was lying unutilised.
3. February 2026Delhi operating 4,286 electric buses, the largest e-bus fleet in India, as per the report.
4. Wednesday (release day)NITI Aayog releases IEMI 2025 at a workshop on state EV policies in Delhi; Delhi says it has written to the Supreme Court for ECC funds.
5. January 2027Delhi's mandate for 100% electrification of autorickshaws and light commercial vehicles takes effect.
6. January 2028Delhi's mandate for 100% electrification of two-wheelers takes effect.

Who has a stake

• NITI Aayog — Released the index and drives state-level EV policy coordination; member Rajiv Gauba framed EVs as an economic, environmental and strategic imperative.
• WRI India — Prepared the index in collaboration with NITI Aayog, setting the indicators on policy, charging infrastructure and ecosystem.
• States and UTs — Ranked and compared; 29 of 36 have notified EV policies, with gainers like Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Bihar and Assam.
• Government of Delhi (transport department) — Top-ranked; needs over Rs 1,000 crore a year for EV Policy 2.0 and has sought Supreme Court permission to use unused ECC funds.
• Ministry of Heavy Industries — Additional secretary Hanif Qureshi said state policies must complement central incentives for EV adoption.
• Automotive sector and workers — Contributes around 7.1% of GDP and supports nearly 19 million jobs; must align with the global EV transition.
• Supreme Court — Will decide whether Delhi can divert unused environmental compensation charge funds to electric mobility measures.

Why it matters

India imports nearly 89% of its crude oil, a dependence likely to grow with rising car ownership unless EV adoption expands, making the transition a strategic as well as environmental question. Because transport policy is largely implemented by states, an index that ranks and compares them creates competitive pressure and shows where charging infrastructure and policy gaps remain. The Delhi funding request also highlights how EV targets depend on money actually reaching the ground.