India may mandate sale of electric only two-wheelers by 2025 

A high-level government panel has recommended that India mandate the sale of electric only new three-wheelers from April 2023. Sales of new two-wheelers with engine capacity up to 150cc could follow two years later.

With domestic sales of 21.8 million units in Fiscal Year 2018-2019, two- and three-wheeler vehicles are said to account for more than three-quarters of traffic in India.

The inter-ministerial steering committee, which is headed by Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, The National Institution for Transforming India, will likely propose similar deadlines for delivery vehicles, school and city buses, Times of India reported.

The committee is also recommending doubling the direct subsidy for electric three-wheelers to INR20,000 (USD286) per kilowatt hour. In addition, the report said that the government is looking at mandating stricter fuel efficiency norms for sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles.

India’s transport ministry is preparing a roadmap for the country to transition to electric vehicles by 2030.

Seven of the world’s 10 worst polluted cities are in India, according to a recent study by Greenpeace. However, moving to electrified vehicles, with 75.9% of its electricity being generated by coal, creates its own host of problems for the second most populous country in the world.