India currently has 1.5 million battery-powered, three-wheeled rickshaws, while close to 11,000 new e-rickshaws hit the streets every month. Annual sales are expected to increase 9 percent by 2021, according to Rahul Mishra, a principal at A.T. Kearney.
Three-wheeled vehicles are a $1.5 billion market, and in India they are manufactured by Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Kinetic Engineering Limited, along with smaller companies that assemble parts imported from China.
e-Rickshaws are quieter, faster, cleaner, and cheaper to maintain than traditional auto rickshaws. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime, transformational opportunity that we’re looking at,” said Goldie Srivastava, chief executive officer and co-founder of SmartE, an Uber-style app using 800-plus e-rickshaws around New Delhi. India’s ride-hailing startup, Ola, aims to place 10,000 e-rickshaws in its service by next April.
India’s federal government is promoting electric vehicles in public transportation and fleet operations – primarily, two- and three-wheelers, taxis and buses.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
