Two- and Three-Wheel EVs Key to India’s Clean Mobility Push: Bajaj Auto

Electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers are central to India’s shift to cleaner and more efficient urban mobility, a senior official at Bajaj Auto said, noting that dense traffic and space constraints make small electric vehicles far more effective than cars in cutting costs, fuel use and emissions.

“India’s problem is not distance, it is density,” said Abraham Joseph, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto Technology Ltd. “You have far more vehicles than the infrastructure can sustain.”

Two-wheelers and three-wheelers form the backbone of urban transport due to their scale and space efficiency. India has about 260 million two-wheelers on the road, compared with around 50 million cars, Joseph said at the Symposium on International Automotive Technology (SIAT) 2026.

Joseph said India’s mobility needs differ from Europe and North America because of congestion, heat, dust and road conditions. Smaller vehicles are more practical for daily commuting, he said, noting that two-wheelers occupy about a quarter of the road space of cars at a fraction of the cost.

Electric scooters and three-wheelers offer clear advantages in such conditions, Joseph said. They consume no energy while idling and recover energy through regenerative braking, improving real-world efficiency and lowering emissions.

He said ICE scooters suffer from inefficiencies due to centrifugal clutches and rubber-belt CVT transmissions, which waste energy in stop-start traffic. Electric scooters avoid these losses and deliver power only when required.

“If electric scooters replace ICE scooters, the cost of ownership drops sharply,” Joseph said. “An electric scooter’s total ownership cost is about 38 per cent of that of an ICE scooter.”

He added that regenerative braking can recover around 17 per cent of energy, extending range and lowering running costs.

Electric three-wheelers also offer strong economics, Joseph said. Compared with diesel models, they deliver over a 15 per cent improvement in cost of ownership, along with lower operating and maintenance costs. Their suitability for last-mile transport further improves earnings for operators, he added.

Bajaj Auto said its EV portfolio has delivered a measurable environmental impact. Over the last five years, the company’s electric vehicles have helped save about 230,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Joseph said high daily utilisation of two- and three-wheelers amplifies the environmental benefits of electrification and aligns closely with India’s ESG and regulatory goals.

India’s EV market continued to expand in 2025, led by mass segments. About 1.28 million electric two-wheelers were sold during the year, while electric three-wheeler volumes were close to 800,000 units.

The government is targeting 30 per cent electric vehicle penetration by 2030. Two- and three-wheelers are expected to lead adoption due to lower upfront costs and faster payback.

Joseph said long-term success will depend less on subsidies and more on engineering-led cost reduction.
“No incentive can sustain a fleet,” he said. “Only engineering that supports cost structures people can afford will succeed.”

Bajaj Auto has focused on platform-based development to cut the costs of batteries, motors and controllers. Over the last five years, the company has reduced the costs of these components by 50–70 per cent, Joseph said.

The company has developed shared EV powertrain platforms across two- and three-wheelers and invested in in-house development of motors, controllers and software to retain control over costs and technology.

“Smart mobility is not a slogan,” Joseph said. “It comes from sound engineering and understanding how technology can work for people at scale.”

He added that electric vehicles now account for about 25 per cent of Bajaj Auto’s turnover, and the company is profitable in its EV portfolio.