In August 2025, Suzuki inaugurated the “e VITARA”, its first made-in-India global strategic Battery Electric Vehicle. The vehicle has been exported to over 100 countries, including Europe and Japan illustrates how India is embracing electric vehicles and building them for the world.
With this single milestone, India became Suzuki’s global manufacturing hub for EVs.
This transformation is the outcome of more than a decade of determination and consistency in building infrastructure needed to develop it.
India’s journey of electric mobility began in 2015 with the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan and the FAME scheme.
The ambition has been driven by three clear priorities: (a) cutting the country’s rising petroleum import bill, (b) tackling worsening urban air pollution, and (c) lowering greenhouse gas emissions from transport, which accounts for roughly 9% of India’s total emissions.
A decade down the line, what started as a policy intervention has evolved into a national priority, aided by government incentives and rapid technological progress.
Today, the shift to EVs in India is understood not merely as an environmental necessity but as a great economic opportunity.
The Growing Numbers
The numbers have grown from a modest figure of 50,000 EVs sold in 2016, to a 46-fold increase within a decade in 2025 India sold 2.3 million units, quite an impressive rise.
This growth has outpaced the global EV market, which grew multiple folds from 918,000 units in 2016 to 18.78 million in 2024.
India’s EV penetration, which stood at just one-fifth of the global average in 2020, has now risen to over two-fifths of the global figure by 2024.
EV adoption itself has surged from a mere 0.08% in 2016 to 8.26% in 2026, with electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers leading the charge last year.
The figures of export have also risen from just USD 1.2 million in 2020 to USD 84 million in 2024, among which Nepal, Indonesia, and Japan are among the top destinations.
Amidst the growing momentum is a rapidly expanding charging network: as of July 2026, over 52,000 public charging stations exist across the country, nearly a third of them fast-charging enabled.
Investment is flowing in the industry. India’s EV ecosystem raised over USD 1.4 billion in 2025, a 27% jump from the previous year, with manufacturers capturing the bulk of this funding.
The Policy Behind the Growth
This outcome wouldn’t have been possible without sustained government intervention.
Especially the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, with an outlay of INR 10,900 crore, has already supported the sale of 22.12 lakh EVs against a target of 28 lakh, while channeling thousands of crores into electric buses and charging infrastructure.
Similarly, the PLI Scheme for Automobile and Auto Components has disbursed over INR 2,377 crore in incentives, majority of it directed toward EV manufacturers.
Recognizing that batteries make up 35-40% of an EV’s total cost, the PLI ACC Scheme has committed INR 18,100 crore to build 50 GWh of domestic battery manufacturing capacity.
States have become equal partners in this push. As many as 29 states and Union Territories had notified EV policies as of December 2025, offering capital subsidies, land allotments, and tax waivers to attract investment.
A concessional 5% GST rate on all electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, the newly launched National Mission on Manufacturing has named EVs a key “seed” sector for India’s industrial future, and the India Electric Mobility Index now tracks how states are performing on this journey.
What Lies Ahead
As of now, India’s EV market is valued at USD 3.71 billion, and by 2024 it is projected to grow to USD 191.04 billion. The government aims for 30% of all vehicle sales to be electric by 2030, backed by a planned 1.32 million charging stations nationwide.
With nearly 400 EV startups now driving innovation in batteries, charging, and AI-enabled features, India is positioning itself as an upcoming manufacturing and export hub.
That is precisely the reason the e VITARA rolling off an Indian assembly line for global markets should not be seen as an isolated story. It is the manifestation of a reimagined road ahead for India while slowly moving away from fossil fuel dependency.
Courtesy- PIB Srinagar
