Role of City Planning in Powering India’s EV Transition

Shreya Sinha - Research Associate, IIMA
Pan India
Low-carbon Transport Systems

Table of Contents

Electrification as a key pathway towards an efficient transport system

India’s Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy, submitted to the UNFCCC under its Paris Agreement commitments, identifies electrification as a key pathway toward an integrated, efficient, and inclusive transport system (MoEFCC, 2022). By 2050, both rail and road transport are expected to achieve high levels of electrification through targeted policy measures. Progress is already visible, where more than 80% of India’s broad-gauge rail network has already been electrified as of March 2022 (CORE, 2022).

As electricity generation steadily shifts toward non-fossil sources, electric mobility will become cleaner and more sustainable. Alongside this, India’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes are driving domestic EV and battery manufacturing, while efforts to integrate EVs with the power grid aim to manage future electricity loads efficiently (Das and Deb, 2020; FICCI, 2020). Plans for renewable and hybrid off-grid charging stations are also emerging, reinforcing the link between clean energy and clean transport. 

In the near term, India’s focus extends beyond just deployment, it includes EV waste management, circular economy principles, and workforce re-skilling for new manufacturing and maintenance needs. This vision builds on the foundation set in 2013 with the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020, which charted a long-term path for electric mobility (Ministry of Heavy Industries, 2013). Since then, the policy landscape has expanded: India now targets 30% EV sales by 2030, supported by initiatives such as PM E-Drive, which subsidises electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, alongside PLI incentives for automobile and advanced battery production.

National-level efforts for EV transition

The Ministry of Power has set an ambitious benchmark: one charging station in every 1 km × 1 km grid (Ministry of Power, 2024). This target reflects the scale of India’s EV aspirations.

Building on this, operational guidelines for deploying public charging stations were introduced under the PM E-Drive scheme (Ministry of Heavy Industries, 2025). They are a welcome step, offering generous subsidies for upstream infrastructure in metro cities and prioritising government, PSU, and other public land for siting. They also designate nodal agencies to handle demand aggregation and location identification, setting the stage for more coordinated rollouts.

State-level actions 

Nearly every state now has an EV policy, with targets, tax rebates, and glowing visions. For instance, the Gujarat EV Policy exempts charging stations from 100% electricity duty during its tenure, but stops short of prescribing strategy and targets for the same (Ports and Transport Department, Gujarat, 2021). That gap is partly addressed by an amendment in Gujarat’s development control norms, which now requires charging facilities in parking areas of new residential and non-residential buildings; this underscores how development regulations can turn intent into implementation (Urban Development and Housing Department, Gujarat, 2021). 

The Model Building Bye-Laws were amended in 2019 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to recommend EV charging provisions in the respective state Development Control Regulations (DCRs) (MoHUA, 2019). Among the states that amended their DCRs to include EV provisions, most did so through parking requirements, typically mandating that around 20% or more of the total parking capacity be equipped or ready for EV charging. These inclusions show that EV integration is already finding its way into planning frameworks, offering a base to build upon.

City design will play a major role in the EV transition

As the EV ecosystem grows, cities will play a decisive role. A robust and well-planned charging network not only ensures convenience for existing users but also encourages adoption. Building such networks efficiently requires data-driven methods that consider spatial patterns, accessibility, and equity. At the same time, planning mandates and guidelines can ensure that this rollout is inclusive by integrating EV infrastructure into development control norms, master plans, and mobility plans. This article explores how governments across levels are laying the groundwork for city-led EV infrastructure.

Examples of cities implementing EV provisions

At the city scale, planning tools are beginning to evolve. The Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines – a framework used by planners for preparing master plans – were updated in 2019 to incorporate EV charging considerations. (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 2019). 

Cities such as Thane, Delhi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram have made initial moves to include EV-related provisions in their draft master plans. However, with nearly 65% of Indian cities still lacking a functional master plan (NITI Aayog, 2021), implementation remains a challenge.

Among the few cities that have integrated EVs into master planning documents:

  • Thane stands out for identifying 30 specific charging locations.
  • Kochi has tied EV charging integration to transit hub projects and suggested linking chargers to ward-level facilitation centres.
  • Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram use broader policy language, useful for direction-setting, though less actionable. However, Thiruvananthapuram has gone one step ahead and designated the implementing and funding agency for the same.

Master plans can be among the most impactful planning tools, given their legal legitimacy. From an EV planning perspective, however, their long approval timelines and 20-year horizons can make them less flexible and slower to adapt when setting targets, allocating space, and defining related norms, particularly in the context of a rapidly evolving technological landscape and volatile EV adoption trends.

Another potential anchor is the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), which addresses transport needs at the city level. Supplementary guidelines (GIZ, 2022) now encourage EV integration into CMPs. Some cities like Bareilly and Kochi have initiated to add EV charging considerations in their CMPs. Others like Lucknow and Bhubaneswar have gone one step further with dedicated Electric Mobility Plans.

Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMPs) were originally envisioned to be prepared by Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) as integrated blueprints aligning with city master plans. The idea was to bring together multiple stakeholders under a single planning framework, ensuring better coordination and smoother implementation. However, the formation of UMTAs has been slow across Indian cities. Where UMTAs are functional, they show promise as effective enablers of electric mobility. Hyderabad’s UMTA, for instance, has initiated EV awareness workshops, online demand-assessment surveys, and charging facility siting (Lakshmi, 2021). These are small yet meaningful steps toward more coordinated, evidence-based transport planning.

Way forward

India’s electric mobility transition is unfolding through an evolving interplay between national ambition, state regulation, and city-level implementation. To make this transition smoother and more equitable, the following steps can help strengthen the planning foundation:

  • Deepen city-level planning integration: As national and state policies expand the “what” of electrification, cities must define the “where” and “how” through master plans, zoning regulations, and mobility frameworks.
  • Embed EVs in statutory planning tools: Development control norms, parking requirements, and building bye-laws should explicitly include EV provisions to translate policy into implementation.
  • Empower institutional coordination: The gradual institutionalisation of UMTAs or a similar body can help bridge the silos between departments, ensuring more integrated decision-making.
  • Leverage data-driven siting: Local spatial data on travel demand, grid capacity, and land-use patterns, etc., can guide the optimal placement of charging stations.

In essence, city planning is emerging as the quiet engine behind India’s EV revolution. National and state frameworks have set the pace, but translating that ambition into on-ground change will depend on how effectively cities embed electrification within their statutory and operational planning processes.

The direction is clear: electric mobility is no longer only a transport or energy concern, it is increasingly a question of how cities are planned, built, and governed.

References

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