Electric vehicles are often presented as a straightforward solution to climate change. Remove tailpipe emissions and emissions fall. This paper examines why that logic does not hold in regions where electricity generation itself remains heavily carbon intensive.
In India, the majority of electricity is still produced using coal. When electric vehicles draw power from a coal dominated grid, emissions are not eliminated. They are shifted upstream into power generation and battery manufacturing, where they become less visible but no less real.
The study applies a full lifecycle assessment, covering battery production, electricity generation, vehicle operation, and end of life disposal. Battery manufacturing emerges as a significant source of emissions, especially in the absence of mature recycling infrastructure.
When these factors are accounted for together, the results challenge the idea that electric vehicles automatically deliver meaningful emissions reductions in coal powered economies. In some cases, lifecycle emissions approach or exceed those of internal combustion vehicles.
The paper argues that real emissions reductions depend on systemic change. Decarbonising the power grid, improving battery recycling, and aligning energy policy are decisive. Without these, electric mobility risks becoming an exercise in accounting rather than a genuine environmental solution.