The road transport sector in India is on the cusp of a transition to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from internal combustion engines (ICEs). Government of India (GoI) has announced several policy measures to push the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). However, EVs involve a high capital cost but lower operating costs. Therefore, the economics of EVs vis-à-vis ICE vehicles depends on the extent of their daily use. The daily use, in turn, can vary significantly from context to context. In this paper, a model to compare the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an EV with different fuel variants (petrol, diesel, and compressed natural gas [CNG]) of their ICE counterparts is presented. It is found that, on an average, the TCO per km of electric two-wheelers (e-2Ws) and electric three-wheelers (e-3Ws) is less than their ICE counterparts at the typical average daily usage of the vehicles in Indian cities. In the case of hatchback and sedan cars, the TCO per km of electric cars (e-cars) is higher than their ICE counterparts. The TCO per km of electric bus (e-bus) is higher than diesel and CNG buses because of high initial purchase cost. Policymakers need to explore innovative business models and strategy for high vehicle utilization to improve the economic viability of EVs. Efficient planning of charging infrastructure and fast charging options will further help in accelerating the adoption of EVs in India.

印度的道路运输行业正处于由内燃机（ICE）过渡到电池电动汽车（BEV）的风口浪尖。印度政府（GoI）已宣布了多项政策措施，以推动电动汽车（EV）的采用。但是，电动汽车的投资成本较高，但运营成本较低。因此，电动汽车相对于ICE汽车的经济性取决于其日常使用的程度。反过来，日常使用会因环境而异。本文提出了一个模型，用于比较与ICE对应燃料的不同燃料变体（汽油，柴油和压缩天然气[CNG]）的电动汽车的总拥有成本（TCO）。发现平均而言，在印度城市典型的日常平均使用量下，电动两轮车（e-2Ws）和电动三轮车（e-3Ws）的每公里TCO低于其ICE竞争对手。就两厢车和轿车而言，电动汽车（e车）的每公里总拥有成本高于其ICE同类产品。电动巴士（e-bus）每公里的总拥有成本（TCO）高于柴油和压缩天然气（CNG）巴士，这是因为初期购买成本较高。决策者需要探索提高汽车利用率的创新业务模型和策略，以提高电动汽车的经济生存能力。充电基础设施的有效规划和快速充电选项将进一步帮助加速电动汽车在印度的普及。电动汽车（e-cars）的每公里总拥有成本（TCO）高于ICE同类产品。电动巴士（e-bus）每公里的总拥有成本（TCO）高于柴油和压缩天然气（CNG）巴士，这是因为初期购买成本较高。决策者需要探索提高汽车利用率的创新业务模型和策略，以提高电动汽车的经济生存能力。充电基础设施的有效规划和快速充电选项将进一步帮助加速电动汽车在印度的普及。电动汽车（e-cars）的每公里总拥有成本（TCO）高于ICE同类产品。电动巴士（e-bus）每公里的总拥有成本（TCO）高于柴油和压缩天然气（CNG）巴士，这是因为初期购买成本较高。决策者需要探索提高汽车利用率的创新业务模型和策略，以提高电动汽车的经济生存能力。充电基础设施的有效规划和快速充电选项将进一步帮助加速电动汽车在印度的普及。