50% Of India’s 3-Wheeler Registrations In 2022 Were Electric, Says IEA Report

A latest global report on Electric Vehicles (EVs) by the International Energy Agency (IEA) claimed that around half of India’s three-wheeler registrations in 2022 were electric, hinting at the increased penetration of electric mobility in the country. The report said that sales of electric 3-wheelers in both passenger and cargo segments touched 4,25,000 units in 2022. 

The report said that India and China have emerged as the key countries showcasing promising transformation of their transportation sector with faster adoption of electric vehicles in different segments. However, the report said that the three-wheeler EV segment is thriving in both countries. 

“Over half of India’s three-wheeler registrations in 2022 were electric, demonstrating their growing popularity due to government incentives and lower lifecycle costs compared with conventional models, especially in higher fuel prices. China followed India in electric three-wheeler sales, with nearly 3,50 000 units sold in 2022. Together, China and India accounted for nearly 99% of global electric three-wheeler sales,” the report said. 

The report also hinted at the country’s positive growth in other nearby South Asian countries besides India. The report said there was a notable boom in electromobility in 2022 in India, Thailand, and Indonesia. “Collectively, sales of electric cars in these countries more than tripled relative to 2021, reaching nearly 80 000. Sales in 2022 were seven times higher than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic,” the report said. 

The report also said among the Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), the leading domestic manufacturer Tata accounted for over 85% of BEV sales, including through sales of its small BEV Tigor/Tiago, which quadrupled. Indian Plug-in Hybrid EV (PHEV) sales remained close to zero. 

The report, however, added that the current EV market trends in the country hinted that it was more mature for the shared and smaller mobility segment. 

“In 2022, 25% of electric car purchases in India were by fleet operators, such as for taxis. In early 2023, Tata secured a large order from Uber for 25 000 electric cars. Furthermore, while 55% of three-wheelers sold were electric, fewer than 2% of cars sold were EVs,” the report said. 

The IEA report said that the best-selling electric car model in India was Tata’s crossover Nexon BEV, with over 32 000 sales, or three times more than the second best-selling model, Tata’s small Tigor/Tiago BEV.