Odisha, which is currently redrawing its Electric Vehicle (EV) policy, needs to come up with a template that accounts for various requirements, rather than taking a uniform approach, experts have told Down To Earth (DTE).

Odisha introduced its first dedicated EV policy on September 1, 2021. The policy was approved for four years, and its original period ended in 2025. The existing policy continues under extensions, while Odisha has framed the Draft Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy, 2025 (EV 2.0) for stakeholder and public consultation. It has not yet been formally notified as the final policy.

According to experts, the state must take into account differences in terrain, travel patterns, vehicle use and infrastructure in both its rural as well as urban areas.

Meanwhile, the state’s EV transition faces a formidable challenge in the form of pollution with air pollution worsening in several of Odisha’s major cities over the past eight years.

Worsening statistics

Annual PM10 concentrations have risen in several of Odisha’s major cities since the financial year 2017-18 (FY18), while winter PM2.5 levels remain high. According to continuous ambient air quality monitoring station data from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), annual average PM10 in FY26 was 114 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) in Angul, 105 µg/m³ in Cuttack, 92 µg/m³ in Bhubaneswar and 120 µg/m³ in Talcher.

Compared with FY18, when annual PM10 was 97 µg/m³ in Angul, 93 µg/m³ in Cuttack, 85 µg/m³ in Bhubaneswar and 113 µg/m³ in Talcher, concentrations increased by 17.5 per cent, 12.9 per cent, 8.2 per cent and 6.2 per cent, respectively. The FY18 figures are from data cited in the minutes of the Seventeenth Meeting of the Implementation Committee for the National Clean Air Programme.