All EVs Should Run On Renewable Energy, Says Union Minister
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi says electric vehicles in India need to be charged using renewable energy, like solar or wind. His point is straightforward: even if an EV does not produce tailpipe emissions, the electricity it uses can still come from coal.
This means the car’s environmental impact can stay high. India’s grid is still heavily coal-dependent. So, clean transport only works if the charging source is also clean. As of now, most of India's electricity comes from thermal power stations, which are powered by coal.
What’s Being Pushed on the Ground
At a recent event, Joshi focused on pushing big companies and fleet operators to use solar charging stations for their electric cars and vans. The government is giving incentives, covering up to 80 percent of the project cost for those putting up solar or other renewable-powered charging points for EVs. Several states and city authorities are also pushing similar plans, with updated guidelines for charging station approvals linked to renewable power sources.
How Are Firms Responding?
Groups like Refex Mobility have set up big all-electric fleets and claim to have reduced millions of kilos of carbon emissions by running their cars only on clean electricity.
Their Delhi NCR operation is adding a few hundred vehicles, and the company says demand for “renewably charged” EVs is rising among corporates, especially in cities where pollution is a focus.
Public sector companies like Indian Oil and utilities like Tata Power are also starting to transition urban charging points to solar, especially near office clusters and bus depots.
More Than Just Cars
The renewable charging message is also aimed at upcoming tech, not just today’s battery EVs. Government plans, according to Joshi, include green hydrogen as a next step for commercial transport and goods movement.
Some new expressway truck stops and bus routes are piloting both solar charging and green hydrogen refuelling to check which works better for local needs.
Where Things Actually Stand
Despite the emphasis on renewable energy for EVs, the reality is that most owners will continue to charge from the regular grid for a while. Solar-powered charging is growing but still covers a small portion of total energy supplied to EVs.
For now, the government’s policy focus means businesses and public agencies adopting EVs are being nudged toward integrating renewables, either directly or through purchase agreements with green power suppliers.
The Standard Might Change, But the Journey Is Long
India’s move toward cleaner EV charging is being set through new policy and funding, but it has yet to shift day-to-day behaviour at scale. Most individual EV buyers are likely to use whatever grid power is available, unless they live in a housing project or work at a company that has invested in on-site solar charging.
Over the next few years, the number of public chargers powered partly or wholly by renewables should grow - but the bigger impact depends on faster changes to India’s overall energy mix. Right now, the goal is to push the industry in that direction, one charging point at a time.