New Delhi, Dec. 22 -- India is laying the groundwork for an ambitious push into autonomous vehicles while also supporting the rising demand for electric vehicles in the country.

The government is developing a new system called the Connected Commercial Vehicle (CCV) protocol, which would allow different types of vehicles and infrastructure to communicate using a single standard, making it easier for them to operate together seamlessly, two officials familiar with the development said.

The plan is being drawn up to address the gap between smart vehicles that are inherently capable of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity and surrounding infrastructure that is not responsive to these vehicles, said the first of the two officials cited e...