India's electric-vehicle story is often framed as a success in the making. The numbers tell a more sobering story. EV penetration touched just 8.5% of total registrations in FY2025-26, up from 7.7% the year before, which is a respectable climb, but nowhere close to the 30% target set for 2030. Meanwhile, over 33 crore petrol and diesel vehicles remain on Indian roads today, the primary source of urban air pollution. At the current pace of new EV sales, India seems to be governed largely by internal combustion engines well into the next decade. That gap between ambition and reality is where retrofitting should step into the conversation.
The Infrastructure Reality EVs must factor in
As of December 2025, there were over 29,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles in India. Even with this development, much of this infrastructure is based in only a handful of states, mainly Karnataka. The lack of coverage and disparity in access means that electric vehicles will likely be used mostly in urban areas for years, with small towns being the least served. Most importantly, while expanded public charging infrastructure is beneficial, one must bear in mind that charging electric cars with coal-fired electricity means pushing pollution further back in the process. A truly clean mobility transition must therefore decarbonise both transport and the power sector simultaneously.
Retrofitment: The Fastest Lever India needs to pull
The transition to cleaner mobility cannot depend solely on the pace of new vehicle sales. Retrofitting existing vehicles to Auto LPG offers one of the fastest ways to reduce emissions from India's current fleet. Globally, Auto LPG is already the third most-used transport fuel, powering over 27 million vehicles worldwide, including roughly 2.4 million in India. Countries like South Korea, Poland, Ukraine and Russia have used supportive policy and fiscal incentives to scale Autogas adoption and achieve measurable emission reductions, a blueprint India has yet to fully act on. A retrofitted vehicle doesn't need a new charging station, a new supply chain for battery minerals, or years of manufacturing lead time. It needs a certified kit and a policy environment that makes conversion affordable. India has precedent here: the CNG conversion drive that began in Delhi in 1998 eventually converted close to a million vehicles, proving that large-scale fuel-switching is achievable when regulation and incentives align.
Cost and Circularity
Clean mobility is not only about what we drive next, but also about how responsibly we use what we already have. Retrofitting existing vehicles to Auto LPG extends their useful life, reduces premature scrappage and lowers the environmental costs associated with manufacturing a replacement vehicle. It is a practical example of the circular economy in action. The single biggest policy lever available today is tax: Auto LPG fuel currently attract 18% GST, a rate that actively discourages the very transition India needs. Bringing this down to 5% or nil as industry stakeholders have recurrently proposed, would make the fuel accessible to a much larger base of vehicle owners, particularly in the commercial and last-mile mobility segments where cost sensitivity is highest.
Conclusion
India really does not have the luxury of choosing between EVs and retrofitment. A successful clean mobility transition requires both to progress in parallel. EVs will define the next generation of vehicles rolling off assembly lines. But the 33 crore vehicles already on the road need a solution that works today, not in 2030. Auto LPG retrofitment is that solution: immediate, affordable, and proven at scale elsewhere in the world. A truly effective clean mobility strategy must address not only the vehicles of tomorrow but also the millions already in use today.
Suyash Gupta is the Director General at the Indian Auto LPG Coalition. Views expressed are the author's personal.