Key Findings
Electric 3 Wheelers accounted for only about 1% of the 2.8 lakh electric vehicles that availed purchase subsidies through Phase-1 of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME-I) scheme between April 2015-March 2019.
Amazon plans to add 10,000 electric rickshaws to its delivery fleet in India by 2025. Similarly, furnishing giant IKEA, and retail joints like Big Basket, Flipkart and Grofers are among those increasingly relying on e-rickshaws for clean and economical last-mile delivery.
Emerging Trends in Electric 3W Market: The government of India began allowing the sale of e-3Ws without battery which significantly reduces purchase cost. The lightweight and compact nature of lithium-ion batteries, used in e-3Ws, makes it well-suited for the battery swapping model. In this model, a discharged battery can be replaced immediately with a fully charged one, offering consumers an experience similar to the re-fuelling of ICE vehicles. While the upfront cost may be reduced by about 30-40% for e-3Ws without battery, its operating cost will be relatively higher than e-3Ws with battery. E-3Ws with high assured utilization rates are a more profitable prospect for businesses, as they become cheaper to operate per km with increased utilization. This has been recognized by big companies in the Indian market.