5 min readAug 2, 2026 07:50 AM IST First published on: Aug 2, 2026 at 07:45 AM ISTElectric vehicles have attracted an unusual amount of certainty for a technology still in flux. Governments promise an all-electric future, automakers make billion-dollar bets, climate advocates champion battery-powered transport, while consumers remain unsure whether to buy an EV, a hybrid or simply wait for the next breakthrough. In the middle of this noisy debate arrives The EV Evolution, a timely and unusually balanced book by Anil Sasi, National Business Editor at The Indian Express.This is not another cheerleading account of electric cars. Nor is it a sceptic’s manifesto. Instead, Sasi offers something rarer: a deeply reported, accessible guide to one of the biggest industrial transformations of our time, viewed through the lens of India.AdvertisementThat perspective matters. India is not Norway, where generous subsidies created the world’s highest EV penetration. Nor is it China, whose state-backed industrial strategy built globally dominant battery and EV manufacturers. India must navigate a different path — one constrained by income levels, infrastructure gaps, energy security concerns, manufacturing ambitions and geopolitical realities. Sasi understands that complexity, and resists the temptation to reduce it to simple slogans.The book’s greatest strength is its breadth. It begins with the surprisingly rich history of India’s early electric-vehicle experiments before examining how Tesla transformed global expectations and how Chinese manufacturers rewrote the rules of competition. Along the way, readers encounter battery chemistry, charging infrastructure, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, autonomous driving, intelligent connected vehicles, battery supply chains, rare-earth dependence, industrial policy, employment, energy security and evolving regulations. Yet, despite covering so much ground, the book rarely feels overwhelming. India is not Norway, where generous subsidies created the world’s highest EV penetration, nor is it China.That is largely because Sasi writes like an experienced journalist rather than an engineer. Technical concepts are translated into plain English without being dumbed down. Policy debates are explained with clarity rather than ideology. The result is a book that welcomes general readers while offering enough depth to satisfy industry professionals and policymakers.