Govt panel calls for tracking EV power demand in India's energy data

New Delhi: The nation should overhaul its energy statistics framework by introducing granular measurement of electricity demand from electric vehicles (EVs), adopting uniform reporting standards across ministries, systematically tracking demand-side energy consumption, as well as including biofuels and off-grid renewable electricity in official energy accounts, an expert committee has recommended.

The panel-constituted by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) and chaired by IIT Delhi director Rangan Banerjee-identified three broad priorities: aligning India's energy statistics with international standards, filling gaps in energy databases, and resolving inconsistencies across datasets maintained by different ministries. "As India progresses towards its renewable energy targets and Net Zero aspirations, the need for a robust, comprehensive and harmonised energy statistics framework has become increasingly important to support evidence-based policymaking and facilitate effective monitoring of the ongoing energy transition," read a statement issued by MoSPI on Monday.

Rapid growth in electric mobility


The recommendation to track electricity demand from EVs comes amid rapid growth in electric mobility. EV sales have increased to more than 2.3 million units in 2025 from about 50,000 units in 2016, taking their share of new vehicle registrations to about 8%, the committee noted. It proposed bridging several data gaps by using alternative methodologies to estimate sector-wise coal and industrial electricity consumption, reallocating diesel sales currently classified under retailers and resellers to the sectors where the fuel is actually consumed, incorporating biofuels and off-grid renewable electricity into India's energy statistics, capturing demand-side energy consumption through a structured national framework, and including international aviation and marine bunker fuels in energy accounts.

The report noted that imported coal accounts for about 20% of India's total consumption, but data on its sector-wise end use is not adequately captured.