The Indian Government has announced that the new scheme – Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS), 2024 – to promote the sale of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the country. 

Replacing the current scheme – Faster Adoption and Manufacturing Electric Vehicles, Phase-II – from 1 April 2024, the new scheme (EMPS) carries an allocation of INR 500 crore. 

Highlighting the Government’s efforts to promote electric mobility, the new scheme is claimed to address the pain points pertaining to EVs at the manufacturing level particularly. The details of the same may take some time to be clear, but the move, it looks like, is to prepare the industry for a post subsidy environment. 

As per the scheme, the maximum subsidy cap for two-wheelers has been lowered to INR 10,000 per vehicle from the previous INR 22,500. For three-wheelers, it has been lowered to INR 50,000 from INR 111,505. Both the categories of vehicles will receive an incentive of INR 5,000 per kWh. 

The focus on lowering the subsidy on two-wheelers and three-wheelers is owing to their demand, mention sources. 

The new scheme will require EV manufacturers to re-register themselves to avail incentives. The guidelines of the EMPS scheme are expected to be made public soon. 

Considering the PLI scheme in place for the proliferation of EVs with a robust supply chain, the new EV policy, announced on 15 March 2024 by the Indian Government mandates companies to invest a minimum of INR 41.5 billion. It allows them three years to set up local manufacturing for EVs with at least 25 percent of the components sourced locally. 

Said to make it easy for global EV companies such as Tesla to enter, the new EV policy companies that meet the above criteria to import 8,000 EVs per year at a lower import duty of 15 percent. This is for cars that cost US $ 35,000 and more. 

In the wake of the fact that a completely built car unit is taxed at 100 percent in India roughly, the new EV scheme indeed makes it easier for companies like Tesla to enter. 

A ley move of the new EV policy is said to enhance technology access in the EV field. This, in turn should make it conducive to the building of a robust supply chain and local manufacturing infrastructure. 

Greenway Mobility, an Indian EV manufacturing company, has launched two electric three-wheelers, Chhota Otto and Chhota Bull, under its flagship E-Vi brand.

The Chhota Otto has folding seats to free up passenger room for freight transportation and separate suspensions on all three wheels for improved comfort and stability. The Chhota Bull, on the other hand, is built for last-mile delivery in difficult terrain. It has a huge 400-kilogramme payload capacity, hydraulic brakes and IoT-enabled fleet management for efficiency and real-time tracking. Both the Chhota Otto and Chhota Bull are priced at INR 200,000 and will be available in the market by the 4th quarter of FY24.

In keeping with its core objective of dominating the electric three-wheeler market by December 2025, Greenway Mobility has embarked on an ambitious expansion project with the launch of E-Vi, aiming to open more than 100 dealerships in key Indian markets by the end of this year. Additionally, the company is getting ready to introduce Rydan, a fast passenger electric rickshaw designed to offer affordable green mobility options in both urban and rural regions of the nation. In addition to making considerable R&D efforts to add electric bikes, trikes and tiny electric automobiles to its lineup, the firm is open to forming strategic alliances with distributors and partners.

Siddharth Patel, Founder, Greenway Mobility and an IIT Bombay and Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management alumnus, said, “India needs mobility solutions that are not only sustainable but also robust and reliable enough to meet the demands of both bustling cities and rural landscapes. Through E-Vi, our aim extends beyond electrifying India’s three-wheeler mobility, creating a robust distribution channel with strategic partners to ensure unprecedented growth, driven by quality and excellence. We are establishing strategic industry collaboration to supplement this entire ecosystem to benefit the end use – addressing concerns like accessibility, nationwide service network, affordable financing options, swappable batteries and charging networks.”

Asserting that the E-Vi will transform how three-wheeler mobility is perceived in India, Harsh Raval, Founder, Greenway Mobility, said, “At Greenway Mobility, we have engineered every aspect of E-Vi vehicles to ensure they excel where others falter. Our goal is to provide vehicles that drivers can trust – vehicles that empower them to do more, go farther and achieve greater success. Maintaining quality is of utmost importance to us and we are sourcing components from only the top Indian suppliers. With our growing portfolio of electric vehicles, we are shaping the future of mobility.”

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has placed an extra order for 148 electric buses from Tata Motors, the biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India. This purchase comes after BMTC placed an earlier order for 921 electric buses, the majority of which have been delivered and are operating effectively with an uptime of more than 95 percent.

The Tata Starbus EV 12-metre low-floor electric buses will be supplied, operated and maintained for a term of 12 years by TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Ltd, a completely owned subsidiary of Tata Motors. With its best-in-class features and outstanding design, the Tata Starbus EV offers a pleasant and environmentally friendly commute. These zero-emission electric buses are built on cutting-edge battery technologies and next-generation design to provide a convenient, safe and comfortable intra-city journey around Bengaluru.

Ramachandran R, IAS, MD, BMTC, said, "We are happy to further strengthen our partnership with Tata Motors with these additional 148 electric buses for our fleet modernisation. The performance of the existing Tata electric buses has been exceptional, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable and efficient public transportation. The larger e-bus fleet will significantly enhance our capacity to provide eco-friendly, comfortable and reliable services to the citizens of Bengaluru."

Asim Kumar Mukhopadhyay, CEO and MD, TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Limited, said, "We are honoured by BMTC's continued trust in our e-mobility solutions. This additional order of 148 buses is a testament to the proven success of our Starbus EVs and the operational excellence delivered in Bengaluru's urban environment. We remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that benefit both the community and the environment."

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has shared the teaser image for its first electric vehicle product - the e Vitara.

Set to be unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the e Vitara will be made in India for the world. It was recently unveiled by Suzuki Motor Corporation at Milan, Italy.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The e Vitara is a testament of our unwavering commitment to sustainable mobility and technological innovation. With decades of automotive expertise, we have combined advanced electric technology with a customer-first approach to deliver something truly transformative. At Maruti Suzuki, we have always believed that to promote EV adoption, we need to create a holistic ecosystem that simplifies customers' battery electric vehicle ownership journey.”

“A critical barrier to the adoption of EVs is the lack of accessible charging. To tackle this issue, we are committed to introduce a reliable and comprehensive EV ecosystem alongside the e Vitara. This will include home charging solutions as well as a nationwide network of fast chargers available at Maruti Suzuki dealerships and service touchpoints. Our goal is to make EVs accessible, convenient, and appealing to a broader set of customers, and this is exactly what we have set out to achieve with the e Vitara,” he added.

​​Vadodara-headquartered electric vehicle company WardWizard Innovations & Mobility recently launched its new range of EV offerings, which it expects to give a new charge to its retail sales.

It was on 13 December 2024 the Joy e-rik V1 (L5) and Joy Bandhu (L3) electric three-wheelers in the passenger category and Joy Sahayak + Cargo (L5) and Joy Eco Loader (L3) in the electric three-wheeler cargo space were launched by the EV maker, thus marking its entry into the fast-growing electric three-wheeler space.

The Joy e-rik V1, priced at INR 385,000 (ex-showroom), comes with 10.24 kW li-ion battery, 50 kmph max speed and 140 km claimed range on a full charge. It can be charged in 4.5-5 hours using the 50 Amp charger.

The Joy Bandhu priced at INR 134,000, uses a 7.2 kW lead-acid battery, has a claimed range of 120 km and top speed limited to 25 kmph.

On the other hand, the Joy Sahayak + Cargo, priced at INR 424,000, is targeted for payload capacity of 650 kg + driver, max speed of 50 kmph, up to 130 km range on a single charge. It uses a 10.2 kW LFP li-ion battery and can be charged in four hours using 50 Amp charger. The Joy Eco Loader, on the other hand, comes with a payload capacity of 310 kg + driver and is priced at INR 130,000.

At present, electric three-wheeler sales in India are averaging 56,674 units a month (CY 2024) as compared to 47,204 units last year. What’s also driving the sales is the government incentives like the Centre’s PM E-Drive scheme that provides demand incentives to support purchase of 316,000 e-three-wheelers including e-rickshaws. They are entitled to a subsidy of INR 25,000 in the first year and INR 12,500 in the second year. For the L5 category (cargo e-three-wheelers), the incentive is INR 50,000 per unit in the first year and INR 25,000 the next.

For the Vadodara-based EV maker, the idea to enter the electric three-wheeler space is on the back of the growing demand for greener last-mile delivery as well as last-mile mobility connectivity options.

Interestingly, it has already onboarded 27 dealerships that will focus on selling electric three-wheelers. Furthermore, it will also provide preference for its around 900 existing dealer and network partners to sell its new offerings.

For FY2025, WardWizard Innovations & Mobility estimates to sell around 50,000 units of electric vehicles across electric two-wheelers (low speed and high speed) and three-wheelers (L3 & L5) in India. It estimates that the sales will grow by 22-24 percent YoY in FY2026.

While it has recently entered the e-three-wheeler space, the company expects the new products to have around 30-35 percent share in its overall sales starting from FY2026.

On the other hand, reducing its reliance on low-speed electric two-wheeler category, the company also introduced a new high-speed e-scooter ‘Nemo’. Priced at INR 99,000 (ex-showroom), it comes with a 40 Ah NMC li-ion battery and a 1,500W DC brushless hub motor that gives it a max speed of 65 kmph. It has a claimed range of 130 km on a single charge in Eco mode. The e-scooter uses a digital speedometer, 5-inch full-colour TF display and projector LED headlight. The company has targeted a modest 2,000 units sales for Nemo in the next three months.

The EV maker currently has an installed capacity to produce 73,000 electric two-wheelers, 7,300 L5 electric three-wheelers and 18,250 L3 electric three-wheelers per annum. The company claims that apart from some plastic components and cells being imported, everything has been localised.

It further aims to start manufacturing its own batteries in the next one year in Vadodara, for which the pilots are underway.