Transport

Our work in the transport sector aims at low-carbon modes of transport that are sustainable and inclusive in nature. We have pioneered policy research in this sector with expertise in issues related to energy efficiency and emissions modeling. Among others, our focus areas include electric vehicles, railways, urban transport.

transport

NEW IN TRANSPORT

  • water security
     

    Project Report

    Freight Greenhouse Gas Calculator

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  • oilzapper

    Article

    COVID-19 lockdown: Impacts on the auto-rickshaw community

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  • low carbon

    Project Report

    Roadmap for Electrification of Urban Freight in India

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  • transport video

    Infographic

    Don't miss the bus: Providing sustainable mobility for urban India

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    indian railways

    Article

    Future of electric auto-rickshaws in India

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Projects

Articles

Truck on Train: Finding a Win-Win Solution

Ms Palak Passi

Trucks have gradually become a dominant mode of freight transport, replacing the railway, the traditional bulk commodity carrier. Crisscrossing through the country, trucks are responsible for nearly 40 percent of carbon emissions and air pollution in the urban areas.[1]

Readiness and Capacity Needs Assessment for Electric Vehicle Adoption in Indian Cities

Global dependence on fossil fuels in the transport sector has been a key driver of climate change and air pollution. In India, motorized transport accounts for a large share of the country’s total GHG emissions. Therefore, the swift replacement of internal combustion engines (ICE Vehicles) with Electric Vehicles (EVs) is imperative to decarbonize India’s transport sector.

Road to contain climate change

Mr S Sundar
,
Mr Sharif Qamar

Roads and railways bind a nation and bring people together. They facilitate the achievement of SDGs, as without adequate mobility, SDGs cannot be achieved and sustained.

What would make Indians buy EVs? Our survey has some answers

Mr Parmeet Singh

TERI's survey on consumer perception of electric vehicles (EVs) revealed that issues like upfront cost, battery replacement, and range anxiety are topmost concerns for people considering buying an EV.

Future of electric auto-rickshaws in India

Mr Shri Prakash

In the post-COVID scenario, the predicted demand of the three-wheeler sector might increase and a shift of commuters from app-based taxies may be expected. To promote electric mobility in India, auto-rickshaws can play a vital role as frontrunners.

Events

Opportunity for Low-Emission transportation in South Asia, Pacific & African regions

July 29, 2022
to July 29, 2022

On 29th July 2022 | 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Webinar on Decarbonising Road transport sector in India- Policy and technology options

March 11, 2022
to March 11, 2022

The event will see experts across sectors discuss the opportunities & need to shift the road transport sector to decarbonisation pathways along with the launch of a policy brief on 'Low Carbon Pathways for the Road Transport Sector in India'.

On 11th March 2022, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM IST

National Conference on COP26 Charter of Actions

October 13, 2021
to October 13, 2021

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), to be held from 1–12 November 2021 in Glasgow will aim to mobilize the action on mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, and strengthen the narrative for better alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs).

COP26 Charter of Actions: Virtual Stakeholder Roundtable on Sustainable Mobility

August 31, 2021
to August 31, 2021

Accelerating economic growth along with equitable recovery is fundamental to sustainable development and climate action. Under the presidency of United Kingdom in partnership with Italy, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), to be held from 1–12 November 2021 in Glasgow will aim at mobilising action on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, and aligning them with sustainable development goals.

Report Launch and Discussion on the Roadmap for Electrification of Urban Freight in India

December 18, 2020
to December 18, 2020

TERI, with the support of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), is organising a virtual event on decarbonising the urban freight sector in India.

News

Vehicle Scrappage: Ring out old vehicles for green road transport

May 6, 2023
| Ms Akshaya Paul
| Dr Asha Ram Sihag
| The Financial Express

The automobile sector is a raw material intensive hard-to-abate sector making it a natural candidate for implementing circularity on the road to net-zero in 2070 says Dr Asha Ram Sihag, Distinguished Fellow, Resource Efficiency and Governance Division, TERI and former Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India and Ms Akshaya Paul, Research Associate, Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI.

Increased EV adoption in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to drive clean energy revolution, say experts

April 24, 2023 |
April 24, 2023
ET Energyworld

There are seven areas of focus for accelerating adoption of EVs across different geographies, including institutional and policy readiness, infrastructure readiness, technology readiness, economic readiness, social readiness, environmental readiness, and innovation readiness says Mr Sharif Qamar, Associate Director Transport and Urban Governance Division TERI.

Increased adoption of EVs in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities can add pace to clean energy drive in India

April 22, 2023 |
April 22, 2023
The Financial Express

On World Earth Day, experts from the ICCT and TERI reckon that the increasing awareness of environmental and cost-related benefits of EVs is driving the EV demand in the country. According to Mr Sharif Qamar, Associate Director and Area Convenor, Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI, there are seven areas of focus for accelerating the adoption of EVs across different geographies – institutional and policy readiness; infrastructure readiness; technology readiness; economic readiness; social readiness; environmental readiness; and innovation readiness.

Consumers lack awareness of E20's impact on vehicles, say experts

April 1, 2023 |
April 1, 2023
The Economic Times

India has commenced its E20 petrol pilot in 32 cities, but industry experts are concerned that consumers are unaware of its impact on vehicles. Mr I V Rao, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, said vehicles' E20 fuel consumption could be higher than unblended petrol due to lower calorific value. The actual value will depend on the engine and how the engineers have tuned it for the blended fuel.

India aims to become global hub for green shipbuilding by 2030: Sonowal

March 23, 2023 |
March 23, 2023
Mint

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda SonowaI inaugurated India's first Centre of Excellence in Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS) on 22 March 2023. The Centre results from a collaboration between the MoPSW and TERI. The Centre housed at TERI complex in Gurugram will act as the Nodal entity for the industry for building green ships and will work towards meeting the obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Cities as global actors: Enhancing urban leadership at G20

January 30, 2023
| Ms Rhea Srivastava
| The Economic Times

When countries negotiate climate action at high-profile international forums, local perspectives and leadership largely remain on the sidelines. According to UN predictions, by 2050, 75% of the world’s population would reside in urban areas. As a result, local leadership and governance will have an increasingly significant global impact, writes Rhea Srivastava, Research Associate, Transport and Urban Governance Division, TERI. As part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a sustainable and resilient urban future is a global goal.

Policy

An Assessment of Avoided CO2 Emissions during Construction, Maintenance and Operation of National Highways

February 22, 2023

India has the 2nd largest road network in the world. Amongst the different types of roads, the National Highways extending to 1,44,634 km has contributed significantly to India’s rapid economic development. The rapid pace of construction of highways is enabling integration of the local economies of far flung towns and villages into the national economy.

Battery Electric Technology In The Heavy-Duty Vehicle Segment

July 8, 2022

70% of total tonne-km of India's freight transport takes place via roads (TERI, 2015) and is dominated by medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) with a share of around 60% and the remaining by light-duty vehicles (LDVs). Reduced emission levels from 'hard to abate' sectors such as medium/heavy-duty long-distance transport, aviation, and shipping will continue to be critical in the future. Sustained efforts in this direction are crucial to achieving emission intensity reduction targets globally and in India, as outlined in the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Transitioning to a Low Carbon Technology for the Road Transport in India

March 14, 2022

India is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions. At present, India accounts for a significant multimodal road transport sector contributing approximately 10 per cent of country’s total CO2 emissions, making it the second most carbon emitting sector in the country. Driven by rising population, income, and urbanization, under a business-as-usual scenario, India’s energy demand from transport is projected to increase six fold in 2050 from current levels.

Moving towards Aggregation: Freight Forwarder Scheme of Railways

February 15, 2022

One of the key strategies in the Union Budget 2022 for increasing rail freight market share, aims at facilitating the integration of smaller goods through seamless solutions and multimodal logistics facilities at cargo terminals. Despite an increase in railways' market share to 45% by 2030, a key transport decarbonization strategy for India, it continues to exhibit a gradual decline due to a variety of reasons.

Developing Rail Freight Terminals: Energizing Private Partnerships

February 15, 2022

Railways has often been termed as the "backbone of the economy", facilitating passenger and freight transportation to the length and breadth of the country. In recent years, railways has experienced a constant decline in the freight business, resulting in a growing concern for railway finances and National Decarbonisation Targets.

Assessing the environmental benefits from switching auto-rickshaws in Chennai to electric

June 18, 2020

In Chennai, auto rickshaws constitute 40% of all transport vehicles and 58% of passenger transport vehicles. The share of auto-rickshaws has increased from practically zero in 1970 to over 6% in 2008.

Associate Director, Transport and Urban Governance
Senior Director, Sustainable Habitat
Distinguished Fellow, Transport & Urban Governance