Hi, what are you looking for?
More Mining Companies Are Now Adding Renewable Energy To Their Energy Mix, Says JUWI
Shifted Energy Uses Energy Control Strategies To Stabilize The Grid In Hawaii
Want To Electrify Everything? Train More Electricians — Quickly
Cornell Study Finds Solar Panels Help Crops Grow & Crops Help Solar Panels Last Longer
Wind, Solar, & Batteries Increasingly Account for More New U.S. Power Capacity Additions
Want To Electrify Everything? Train More Electricians — Quickly
Wind, Solar, & Batteries Increasingly Account for More New U.S. Power Capacity Additions
Renewables Face Two Major Challenges — FUD & Connection Challenges
Energy Security Amid Heightened Global Tensions
Army Of Spiral-Welding Wind Turbine Tower Trucks Sets Forth From…Texas?
Fervo Energy Plans Direct Air Capture Facility Powered By Geothermal Heat & Electricity
2023 Global Energy Trends: Crisis, Contingencies, & Climate Change (Video Included!)
Biden–Harris Administration Announces $74 Million to Advance Enhanced Geothermal Systems
In 2021, 20% Of Electricity In The US Was Generated From Renewable Sources
Stellantis Takes On Two Partners To Reduce EV Production Emissions
Two-Thirds of European Battery Production at Risk — Analysis
Wind, Solar, & Batteries Increasingly Account for More New U.S. Power Capacity Additions
Honda Pushes Forward With New Stationary Hydrogen Power Station For Backup Power
General Motors Will Build A US Battery Factory With Samsung SDI
Speeding Up Extreme Fast Charging Capability In Lithium-Ion Batteries
PG&E Will Test Tesla & Sonnen Virtual Power Plant Technology
Sonnen & TenneT Power German Grid With Electric Cars
1st Virtual Power Plant from SolarEdge Supporting UK Grid
Google, Ford, GM, & Solar Companies Partner To Promote Scaling Of Virtual Power Plants
Vehicle-To-Grid Solutions Could Open Fast Lane To Net-Zero Future
Heat Pumps For Every Home
BlocPower Brings Energy Efficiency To Low & Moderate Income Families
Study: Heat Pumps 2–3× Cheaper Than Green Hydrogen In Europe
Central Heat Pump Water Heaters Can Act As Massive Water Batteries, Seattle Pilot Project Shows
Heat Pump Mania Is Sweeping The World
Luxury Electric Vehicle Cage Match: Lucid vs. Tesla vs. Everyone Else
Have No Fear: Electric Vehicles Will Get You Where You Need To Go
The Toyota bZ3 Is The Electric Corolla That Africa Needs
OX Is Working To Cut Post-Harvest Food Losses In Africa With Its Transport-As-A-Service Model
Want To Electrify Everything? Train More Electricians — Quickly
90,000 Miles On My Tesla Model 3 — Maintenance Costs Higher Than Expected
BYD Atto 3 Reviews — 5 Months On The Road In Australia
E-Bike Comparison: NIU vs. Heybike vs. Suburbia
CleanTechnica Tested: The Flyer L885 Long Tail Cargo E-Bike
UK Plugins Drop Share YoY, Tesla Model Y Bestseller
France’s Plugin EVs Hit 24% In February, Dacia Spring Still Boss
Best Selling Electric Cars In The World — January 2023
The Rise & Rise Of The Chinese EV Market — 17% Market Share In January
Sweden’s Plugins Continue To Grow Despite Economic Downturn
90,000 Miles On My Tesla Model 3 — Maintenance Costs Higher Than Expected
BYD Atto 3 Reviews — 5 Months On The Road In Australia
E-Bike Comparison: NIU vs. Heybike vs. Suburbia
CleanTechnica Tested: The Flyer L885 Long Tail Cargo E-Bike
2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Premier Redline Edition — Video Review
Sandy Munro: The Coming Wave of Chinese EVs
Sandy Munro On Which Automakers Are Getting It Right Besides Tesla
Sandy Munro: How Tesla Gets To The $25,000 Car
Sandy Munro: Tesla Is “Engineering At The Speed Of Thought”
CleanTechnica recently published an article that I had compiled about the progress of BEVs in India. Although the adoption curve looked impressive, the absolute numbers were still miniscule. One of our readers pointed out that the real story was electric two-wheelers in India.
Autocar India tells us that electric two-wheeler sales were up 305% on 2021 figures. The markets for two-wheel EVs has grown from fewer than 2,000 vehicles in 2013 to over 600,000 per year last year. The top 3 producers have been Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech, and Hero Electric. EV sales constituted 4 percent of overall two-wheeler sales in 2022. Statista estimates that demand for two-wheel EVs in India could be as high as 8.2 million a year. Bear in mind that this is out of an estimated 21 million units sold per year.
All this growth is fuelled by “initiatives from the Indian government to enhance e-mobility in the country,” Statista states.
China, on the other hand, sold 45 million electric two-wheelers in 2022. So, India (with a slightly larger population than China) has a really long way to go. Mordor Intelligence asserts that The “Asia-Pacific Electric Scooter and Motorcycle Market is valued at USD 612.03 Billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 1905.25 Billion by 2027 registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 25.4% during the forecast period (2022-2027).”
Sales of electric motorcycles and scooters declined during Covid. However, the market quickly recovered in the second half of 2020 and demand is rapidly increasing. Noise and air pollution in major cities are two more factors driving the market, along with cost reductions and reduced operating costs.
Electric two- and three-wheelers are a good “fit for purpose” for app-based micromobility services. Advances in battery technology and the increasing availability and use of battery swapping stations have also contributed to the demand. Strategic agreements between manufacturers, service providers, and charging companies are building alliances which will accelerate the penetration of electric two- and three-wheelers. It seems like not a day passes without an announcement of another cleaner, greener use being found for e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles — personal transport, logistics, food, delivery, tourism, and ride sharing, to name a few.
“E-scooters witness higher sales than e-motorcycles due to lower upfront costs and the availability of more models in the market, which provide ample options for buyers. The allure of the e-scooter, both as a toy and as a potential vehicle for commuting, is driving its adoption. Thus, several start-ups are beginning to flood major metropolitan areas with hundreds of ‘rent by minute’ scooters,” Mordor Intelligence writes. Strange that they listed “toy” as a reason for purchase and that they listed it first.
The Indian government, through its FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) 2 policy, is encouraging EV adoption. The Indian Finance Minister is even planning to include battery swapping in his FY 22 budget. Adoption of EVs is both market and government driven. Cost reductions are being achieved by the localisation of the manufacture of components. FAME 2 also offers subsidies for high-speed electric two-wheelers. Easing dependence on imported oil will improve not only India’s balance of payments, but also geopolitical tensions with the West. According to the Hindustan Times, “India imported 68,600 bpd of Russian oil in March 2022, which increased to 266,617 bpd in the following month and reached the previous peak of 942,694 bpd in June 2022. But in June 2022, Iraq was India’s top supplier with 1.04 million bpd of oil. Russia, in that month, became India’s second-biggest supplier.” A dependence on pariah states like Russia and Iran could prove disadvantageous in the long run.
“India is the world’s third-largest oil-consuming and importing nation. It imports 85 per cent of its crude oil needs. Crude oil is converted into fuels like petrol and diesel at refineries. India’s appetite for Russian oil swelled ever since it started trading on discount as the West shunned it to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.”
With ongoing demand for low-cost electric 2-wheelers, major players are rolling out plans to launch electric versions of their top selling models and massively increase production. For instance:
Outside the big 3: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is planning to launch an electric version of its best-selling scooter the Activa. “The new EV could be called the Activa E.”
“Ather Energy has opened its second manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, to meet the growing demand for its 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters. From its current capacity of 120,000 units, the company intends to produce 400,000 units per year,” Mordor Intelligence writes.
“In November 2021, NIU launched the MQiGT EVO electric scooter. The scooter gets a 6.5kW power electric motor, thanks to which its top speed can reach 100km/h. The company claims that this scooter is capable of achieving a maximum range of 75km on a single charge.”
The Indian electric two-wheeler market is indeed powering ahead, and with growth figures like these, it won’t be long before the streets are quieter and the air is cleaner in some of India’s largest cities.
Featured image courtesy of Ola Electric.
David Waterworth is a retired teacher who divides his time between looking after his grandchildren and trying to make sure they have a planet to live on. He is long on Tesla [NASDAQ:TSLA].
Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of millions of monthly readers.
Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Arthur Erickson, founder and CEO of Hylio (pronounced like Helios, god of the sun, not Hi...
The Indian government has issued a list of projects that would be eligible to earn carbon offsets for the purpose of selling them in...
The Association of American Railroads is lobbying hard to radically reduce rail as a freight delivery option in the US. It's the exact opposite...
Tata Motors has been revolutionizing the Indian automotive market with its pioneering efforts and is leading the e-mobility wave in India with a commanding...
Copyright © 2023 CleanTechnica. The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.