Policy Dharma and Electric Mobility: A Triguna-Based Framework for understanding EV Adoption in India

Electric mobility for sustainable development has emerged as a critical pillar in India’s transition toward sustainable transportation under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2030 (NEMMP 2030). While earlier studies on EV adoption emphasize on economics, infrastructure, and technology, the behavioural and cultural aspects of policy effectiveness remain underexplored. This study shows when Indian philosophical concept is blended in policy framework outcome is what the policy maker aims for .This study titled ““Policy Dharma and Electric Mobility: A Triguna-Based Framework for Understanding EV Adoption in India” introduces the Policy Dharma Framework, embedded in the classical Indian Triguna Theory from “Bhagavad Gita” — Sattva (clarity), Rajas (ambition), and Tamas (inertia) — to examine how policy characteristics influence EV ecosystem outcomes in India. The research aims to analyse whether guna-based tendencies within policy design and implementation affect consumer trust, industry response, and adoption patterns. The study also explores the effectiveness of Policy related to EV and critical role of Triguna’s characteristics in framing and implementing the policies.<br>The study proposes four testable hypotheses:<br>H1: Sattvic policy characteristics positively influence consumer trust and adoption intention;<br>H2: Rajasic policy characteristics positively influence industry participation and innovation;<br>H3: Tamasic characteristics negatively influence EV adoption outcomes; and<br>H4: A balanced combination of high Sattva, high Rajas, and low Tamas enhances overall EV policy effectiveness.<br>The objectives are to<br>(i) map the presence of Triguna attributes in national and state EV policies,<br>(ii) examine their relationship with consumer and industry responses, and<br>(iii) evaluate whether a balanced Triguna orientation leads to stronger adoption indicators.<br>This research uses a secondary-data-driven exploratory design, combining policy document analysis, public reports, sales datasets, and industry trend reviews. EV adoption metrics across Indian states are compared against coded Triguna attributes to identify behavioural patterns in policy implementation. Qualitative interpretation is paired with quantitative correlation-based mapping to assess whether guna-based tendencies align with real-world adoption trends.<br>Findings indicate that states demonstrating stronger sattvic attributes (policy clarity, transparency, environmental framing) show higher consumer trust and smoother implementation. Regions with pronounced rajasic characteristics (ambitious targets, investment mobilization) exhibit strong industry participation but inconsistent long-term stability unless supported by sattva. Tamasic tendencies — delays, unclear guidelines, procedural complexity — remain a significant barrier across several implementation layers. Overall, results support the hypothesis that balanced Triguna orientation produces the most effective EV policy outcomes.<br>The study concludes that behavioural and cultural insights through the Triguna lens enriches EV policymaking by enabling more holistic, adaptive, and ethical governance. This study offers Policymakers, Practitioners, Academicians and Student fraternity an understanding of Triguna based framework which can be applied in any type of Policy making for effective and efficient policies.