Transition to Electric Mobility in India: Barriers Exploration and Pathways to Powertrain Shift through MCDM Approach

The ever-increasing environmental concern necessitates the implementation of electric vehicles (EVs) in the public fleet in a larger proportion. While developed countries have accomplished this objective through unique ways, developing and underdeveloped countries are still lagging. Deficiencies in technological readiness and supportive infrastructure are major concerns for them. To support their future endeavours in the field of electric vehicles, a review article that encompasses the present status, barriers for EVs adoption and operation in developing countries proves highly critical. A critical analysis of EV adoption barrier information is used to develop appropriate technology to tackle these barriers and provide necessary plans for policymakers to effectively implement electric vehicles. Furthermore, this article comprehensively analyses barriers to EV implementation and adopts the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model to rank the evaluation criteria based on expert opinions. From the results for developing countries such as India, the model placed battery-operated electric vehicles at 5th position on the hierarchy ranking. This is because the existing infrastructure and technology will not currently support the imminent shift to electric mobility. The identification of a possible alternative propulsion system that bridges the gap between necessity and feasibility is essential. For this purpose, the article also explores the prospects and critically analyses hybrid electric vehicles as an intermediary propulsion system that smoothens the transition to EV. The outcomes of the literature review, expert opinions and author findings suggest that hybrid technology uses powertrain components that are chiefly similar to those found in conventional vehicles, yielding vehicle manufacturers with a smoother changeover to Electric Vehicle technology, which may otherwise lead to an immense failure in technology transition.