Researchers at the Centre for Excellence in Energy and Telecommunications (CEET), IIT Madras, and Immersive Technology and Entrepreneurship Labs (ITEL) have found that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) significantly outperform petrol-powered internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over their full lifecycle, even under India’s current grid conditions.
The study, titled “The March Towards Zero-Emission Transport: To Preserve Life on Earth by Eliminating Fossil Fuels and GHG Emissions,” was led by Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Founder of IITM Research Park and IITM Incubation Cell.
The research employed a dynamic model that accounts for evolving scenarios of renewable energy integration and enhanced recycling rates, examining the entire lifecycle from raw material extraction through manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life disposal over a standardized 300,000-kilometer lifespan.
Key Findings
The study found that an ICEV emits 53.84 tons of CO2e over 300,000 km, compared to 33 tons for a BEV with India’s current 28% renewable grid. With fully renewable electricity, BEV operational emissions drop to 0.03 tons.
In manufacturing, without renewables or recycling, ICEV manufacturing emits 8.66 tons of CO2e, while BEVs emit 9.66 tons. With 100% renewable energy and recycling, these figures drop to 2.89 tons for ICEVs and 2.54 tons for BEVs.The research also found that BEVs convert approximately 90% of electricity into traction energy, compared to less than 25% for petrol engines.
“This study arrives at a moment when India can no longer afford to delay decisive action on transportation emissions. Our cities are choking, our citizens are suffering health consequences, and questions continue to be raised about whether electric vehicles are truly the answer. This analysis settles that debate with rigorous, India-specific data — BEVs are not just marginally better, they are decisively superior to petrol vehicles in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, even with our current electricity mix. Further, the report emphasizes that the transition to EVs must go hand-in-hand with moving electricity generation to renewables and complete recycling of all subsystems of a vehicle, including battery,” said Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Chairman, Immersive Technology and Entrepreneurship Labs.
Context and Implications
The study comes as Indian cities face air quality challenges. Recent analysis shows that India’s biggest cities have endured a decade of unhealthy to hazardous air, with none meeting safe AQI standards between 2015 and November 2025. Delhi remained the most polluted city across the entire assessment period.
The report states that ICEVs are fundamentally constrained by their carbon-intensive combustion process, with about 80% of their lifecycle emissions occurring during operation and limited potential for efficiency improvements.
“EVs represent a fundamental shift toward a sustainable future. Unlike petrol vehicles, which are locked into fossil fuel dependence and emit over 80% of their lifecycle emissions during operation, EVs improve with every megawatt of renewable energy added to the grid and every advancement in battery recycling. The choice is clear: EVs offer a pathway to near-zero emissions, while petrol vehicles offer at most incremental improvements to an inherently polluting technology,” added Dr. Jhunjhunwala.
Projections and Recommendations
The report projects that by 2040, advanced recycling could recover up to 95% of key materials and cut manufacturing emissions by 30-40%. The shift to EVs is expected to drive a 20-30% increase in renewable electricity generation by 2035.
The findings highlight a dual-action strategy for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and policymakers: prioritizing grid decarbonization and investing in circular battery ecosystems. “It is not just adopting BEVs, but also greening of electricity and adopting full recycling, that will enable the earth to deal with global warming,” the report concludes.