India, Sept. 28 -- Kerala's roads are rapidly filling with electric scooters, cars and three-wheelers, but the state is adding new vehicles faster than it is replacing old ones, diluting environmental gains.

Experts warn that electrification alone cannot solve congestion, non-exhaust pollution or rising motorisation without a broader shift toward efficient public transport, renewable-powered charging and reduced dependence on private vehicles.

On Kerala's busy roads, a transition is visible. Electric scooters slip between buses and autorickshaws; electric cars wait beside petrol hatchbacks and battery-powered three-wheelers are increasingly common. Charging stations are appearing along highways and urban centres.

For a state that began...