An interesting picture is emerging in India as the EV scene heats up. The big players like Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor Company and Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India have shed any reservation they would have had about India’s EV market to mark their presence. The movement of these big wigs in the 2-wheeler space is taking place amid a certain clout created by new entrants at the organised end of the EV market like Ather Energy and Ola Electric as well as at the unorganised end of the EV market by entrants like E-Ashwa, ADMS e-bikes, Miracle 5, etc.

What is turning the EV scene in India more interesting is how the small EV players that could be described as those belonging to the unorganised part, are organising themselves to take on the big wigs. A recent development in Maharashtra where the transport authorities seized and fined low-speed two-wheelers that could exceed the stipulated maximum speed of 25 kmph and possibly possessed batteries and motors that exceeded the capacity put down in the rules has led to the smaller EV players to organise themselves as an association that would help them deal with any such eventualities in the future. The treatment meted out to them during the event made them think of a strategy that would effectively make them portray themselves as bigger and stronger. Make them possess the ability to represent themselves better and to lobby effectively if the needs arises.  

A similar development is taking place in the three-wheeler category as well. Starting of as small enterprises, electric three-wheeler manufacturers from across the country are beginning to organise themselves as they find that the bigger and better organised players like Piaggio and Ampere are beginning to corner a share of the electric three-wheeler market in the passenger as well as the cargo carrier level.

Moving up the value chain and taking to work closely with Indian suppliers, the smaller three-wheeler manufacturers are investing in better R&D, seeking help from specialised associates at the testing and components supply end to ensure that their vehicles meet the regulatory demand as well as the market expectations.  

Smaller electric three-wheeler manufacturers are also working closely with financiers to drive sales while keeping an eye on the regulatory changes and announcement of incentives by states as they announce EV policies in line with the one that the Union Government has drawn. Drawing attention to the EV policy announced by the State of Haryana, Suman Mishra, CEO, Mahindra Electric Mobility, said that her ompany welcomes the move. Terming it as ground breaking, she averred, “What is encouraging is that there is a comprehensive EV policy backing this move. Slashing emissions from the road transport sector forms a pivotal part of India's efforts to de-carbonise its economy and a well-articulated, incentivised EV policy is crucial to creating a conducive environment for the adoption of EVs.” 

As the bigger players like Mahindra and Piaggio continue to invest in network expansion, technology upgradation and development of products that are more efficient, the smaller players are taking to collaborations. They are working closely with components suppliers – many of whom are common to the bigger players – to ensure reliance on technology and to enhance their ability to sell reliable EVs. An emerging EV supply chain is almost ‘God-sent’ to the smaller Indian EV manufacturers. Also, the emergence of unique solutions providers like those that are supplying battery pack casing to facilitate easy swapping or charging of the battery or those that are making available test and certification facilities that would otherwise need high investments.  

Opinions and feedbacks have been called for by an agency under the aegis of Niti Aayog to prepare a draft for battery swapping policy even as the BIS standard has been made mandatory for EV batteries. There is however a need to reconsider the battery dimension regulation as far as the terminals are concerned, it seems. An industry source mentioned that a new concept of sunken terminals which are safe and efficient rather than the lead-acid battery-like terminals said to be under consideration with appropriate protection show go a long way in revolutioning the use of lithium-ion batteries, he informed.

The battery swapping policy draft is expected to be made public by the end of July 2022 and a policy expected to be announced soon after. At the passenger vehicle level, it is the big wigs like MG Motors and Tata Motors who have been calling the shots. New entrants like BYD are also planting their feet in the market that is growing at a fair pace. As the charging infrastructure grows amid high fossil fuel prices, electric passenger vehicles are growing in the face of attractive incentives, a growing drive range and increase vehicle performance.  

At the CV level too, it is a combination of established players like Tata Motors and new entrants like Olectra-BYD and JBM that have been calling the shots. The EV proliferation is at the bus-end of the market. The buyers are mostly city and state transport organisations. The act of purchasing electric buses is also helped by government initiatives like FAME II, which is claimed to be public transport oriented, are helping their proliferation. Given the complex nature of contracts for the supply of electric buses to government and semi-government organisations, it is the organised players with a deep understanding of the market that are at the forefront. What is surprising is how the new entrants like JBM and Olectra-BYD have succeeded in getting a strong hold. Their e-buses too are found along side the e-buses supplied by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland in most cities in India.  

EVs have been big levelling act in India, mentioned an industry source. He drew attention to how the smaller and bigger players are jostling for the same market space almost. A right thrust on infrastructure creation and an emphasis on generation of electricity from greener sources should help EVs to prove to an extent that their cost to the environment is lower than that of the fossil-fuel vehicles, he added. For EVs to be truly environmentally friendly, efforts are being for scientific recycling and processing of vehicles and their components. The small and big players are expected to work together to achieve this goal, making the EV ecosystem in India are ‘true levelling’ ground. Something, which the fossil-fuel intensive auto sector has so far been unsuccessful to create.  

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Tata Power and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility have expanded their co-branded charging network across four states, with 10 charging hubs logging over 70,000 charging sessions and 85,000 charging hours.

The infrastructure has delivered 2.7 megawatts of total power capacity, supporting over 7.5 million electric kilometres and offsetting 6,690 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

The network spans Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, operating 25 fast chargers and 56 charging guns with hub capacities ranging between 180 kilowatts and 600 kilowatts. The locations include four sites along the Yamuna Expressway between Greater Noida and Agra, three stations along the Hyderabad–Vijayawada corridor, one location on the Bengaluru–Tirupati route and one hub along the Pune–Bengaluru highway. Additional hubs operate within urban zones in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

The facility at The Leela near Mumbai Airport serves as the flagship site, providing 600 kilowatts of capacity across 16 charging guns, comprising six 60-kilowatt and two 120-kilowatt units. The location supports private vehicles, commercial taxis and fleet operations near transit corridors.

The installations form part of Tata Power's total footprint, which includes over 6,700 public and captive charging points, 250,000 home chargers and 1,200 bus chargers across 690 cities. The company aims to operate 10,000 public charging points and 750,000 home chargers by 2030, with hub management integrated into the Tata Power EZ Charge application.

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HERE Technologies and SBD Automotive have published the India edition of the HERE-SBD EV Index 2026, which tracks electric vehicle readiness and charging infrastructure deployment across 34 Indian states and union territories. The report indicates growing consumer interest alongside an expansion of public charging networks.

The report finds that Telangana secured the top rank in the 2026 study, rising from 25th position in the previous edition due to infrastructure additions and updated vehicle fleet data. Andhra Pradesh advanced from 13th to second place, while Chandigarh ranked third, followed by Haryana and Rajasthan tied in fourth position.

Delhi dropped from fourth place in 2025 to 17th position, as infrastructure additions and vehicle adoption rates lagged behind other regions.

Interestingly, India added more than 31,500 public charging points over the past year, increasing total public charging capacity by 1.65 gigawatts. The average public charger power increased from 32 kilowatts to 45 kilowatts across the network.

A companion survey of drivers in India revealed that 87 percent of respondents are more likely to consider purchasing an electric vehicle than a year ago, with 46 percent citing fuel costs as a primary factor. However, operational challenges persist, with 77 percent of current electric vehicle owners reporting encounters with non-functional charging points and 46 percent citing charger availability as a primary barrier to adoption.

Abhijit Sengupta, General Manager for India and Southeast Asia, HERE Technologies, said, "India's EV ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Consumer confidence continues to grow, charging infrastructure deployment is accelerating and several states are demonstrating strong progress in building the foundations for electric mobility. More than 31,500 chargers were added in the past year alone, underscoring the momentum across the industry. As adoption accelerates, the focus must increasingly shift from simply expanding infrastructure to ensuring drivers can confidently discover, access and use charging infrastructure whenever they need it."

Robert Fisher, Senior Consulting Manager, SBD Automotive, said, "India continues to stand out as one of the most optimistic EV markets globally. The rapid growth in charging infrastructure is encouraging, but consumer feedback shows that reliability remains a key challenge. The next stage of market maturity will require balancing infrastructure scale with infrastructure quality, ensuring the charging experience keeps pace with the growing number of EVs on the road."

The index ranks regions out of a maximum score of 100 based on four criteria: charger density per road length, average charger power capacity, vehicle fleet share, and the ratio of registered electric vehicles to public charging points.

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Mumbai-headquartered electric vehicle company Bgauss, part of RR Global, has launched the C12 MaxR, an electric scooter which comes with a certified range of 178km and a top speed above 75kmph. The launch is part of the company’s plan to make further inroads into India's competitive two-wheeler market.

Underpinning the new model is what Bgauss calls its WSA platform, an architecture built to take different combinations of motor, battery and wheel size rather than being locked to one configuration. The company says the platform, made from high-tensile micro-alloy steel and assembled through robotic manufacturing, is rated for up to 150,000km of use — a figure aimed squarely at buyers who use their scooters for daily commuting rather than occasional trips.

The C12 MaxR draws power from a 3.8kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, rated IP67 for water and dust resistance and enclosed in aluminium to help manage heat. Bgauss says the pack's battery management system tracks 110 separate safety and performance parameters, feeding into the certified 178km range.

Drive comes from HyperZen, a newly developed in-wheel motor that produces 4.2kW of peak power. Unlike a conventional setup, the motor houses its own gear transmission, braking hardware and control unit together, which Bgauss says does away with a belt or chain and cuts down on wiring.

Riders get a choice of Eco, Ride and Sport modes, plus reverse gear, cruise control and regenerative braking. Bgauss rates the scooter's hill-climbing ability at 18 degrees, give or take two degrees either way.

"Over the last six years, we have been focused on building electric mobility around the Indian consumer, and the C12 MaxR brings that philosophy together in one product," said Hemant Kabra, founder of Bgauss. "We wanted to create a scooter that delivers on the fundamentals of range, performance and reliability, but also recognises that today's consumer expects much more from their vehicle. Space, design, lighting, technology and pride of ownership are equally important. The C12 MaxR is our expression of what a complete electric scooter should be. It is engineered for everyday India, while designed to make every ride feel special."

Storage was clearly a design priority. Under the seat is room for two helmets, while riders also get a pop-out umbrella holder, a lockable compartment for documents and a wallet, wireless phone charging, a bottle holder and a spot for a cleaning cloth. There is additional space on the floorboard for a medium-sized bag or piece of luggage.

Visually, the scooter is built around a front light unit Bgauss calls the Krystal Lamp, paired with full LED lighting at the tail and indicators, and a quilted seat the company has branded Seat of Pride.

A 5-inch TFT screen handles turn-by-turn navigation, call alerts, ride and charging data, user profiles and document storage, with a choice of display themes. Other functions include a distance-to-empty readout, a fall-detection feature called FallSense, automatic motor cut-off when the side- or main-stand is down, service reminders, a mode-memory setting and home-location guidance. A companion app adds parental controls, a security lock, adjustable speed limits, firmware updates, vehicle health checks, an SOS alert and DigiLocker access.

Mechanically, the C12 MaxR runs on 12-inch alloy wheels with tubeless tyres, stopped by a 220mm front disc and a combined braking system at the rear. Suspension is handled by a hydraulic telescopic front fork and a five-step adjustable Nitrox gas-emulsion rear unit, with 160mm of ground clearance and a payload rating of 150kg.

The scooter goes on sale in four colourways — Sparkling Wine with Champagne Gold, Terra Green with Champagne Gold, Pearl White and Satin Black — through Bgauss's dealer network across India.

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Hindustan Zinc has signed a 6-year transportation contract with MFL India for the deployment of 30 electric trucks to transport concentrate, expanding the electrification of its industrial logistics network in Rajasthan. The agreement includes an option to extend the term by an additional two years.

As per the contract, the electric trucks will replace diesel vehicles used for moving zinc and lead concentrate from the Rampura Agucha underground mining site to the company's smelting facilities. MFL India will establish and operate dedicated EV charging infrastructure along the transit route to support fleet operations and maintain transport schedules. The agreement incorporates a phased transition plan to integrate local drivers into the electric fleet operations.

Amarendu Prakash, CEO and Whole-time Director, Hindustan Zinc, said, "The future of mining will be defined not only by the metals we produce, but by how responsibly and efficiently we produce and move them. The contract for deployment of EV trucks for concentrate transportation is yet another step towards that future, demonstrating how industrial decarbonisation can strengthen competitiveness while creating an ecosystem in which our partners and communities grow with us."

Anil Thukral, Chairman and MD, MFL India, said, "We are proud to partner with Hindustan Zinc in advancing the transition to cleaner industrial logistics. This deployment demonstrates how electric mobility can be effectively integrated into large-scale transportation networks, supported by the right charging infrastructure and operational planning. Together, we are building a scalable model for sustainable logistics that delivers both environmental benefits and long-term operational value."

In FY2026, Hindustan Zinc added 42 electric vehicles to its operational fleet, bringing its alternative-fuel logistics inventory to 232 vehicles, comprising 52 electric vehicles and 180 LNG-powered vehicles.

The company previously introduced battery electric vehicles for underground operations at its Sindesar Khurd Mine in Rajpura Dariba. The fleet conversion forms part of Hindustan Zinc's target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, alongside increasing its renewable power consumption share to nearly 22 per cent.

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