India’s e-rickshaw market is booming 

The last-mile three-wheeler segment is witnessing a rapid shift towards full-electric, battery-operated vehicles. Price-conscious customers are finding e-rickshaw affordable to buy and operate as soaring fuel prices start to make an adverse impact on earning. 

Anyone closely observing the sales trends in India’s commercial vehicle sector, there is a visible shift taking place at the bottom of the pyramid vehicle segment. The three-wheeler is also known as the auto-rickshaw segment- an affordable and value for money vehicle for a vast number of buyers in India- mostly their first commercial vehicle is a high volume vehicle segment that serves as the backbone of the last-mile people mobility and cargo/logistics supply-chain needs. 

Despite the popularity of the entry-level four-wheeler cargo trucks which is now affordable, the three-wheeler continues to register healthy growth, this smallest vehicle segment has been thriving primarily driven by the IC engine powered vehicles. However, the soaring fuel prices, rising operational costs and emergence of full-electric battery-operated which is promoted by government with incentives , the electric commercial vehicles turning out to be strong alternative over the last few years. This has started to show a vast difference in sales numbers with e-rickshaw sales continues significant upwards march indicating their rising popularity. 

As the demand for battery operated three-wheeler/e-rickshaws started to grow, many established and new players enter the fray with different price points, battery type and range to cater to the diverse customer needs. This has provided the much-needed options to the consumer- who is now willing invest and bet on EVs.

Top Brands

The all-electric battery-operated three-wheeler segment has got some of the top OEMs catering for this bargaining segment with locally designed, developed vehicles that take on the Indian operating cycle.  Mahindra is the obvious first big player that entered India’s EV space today and takes the leadership position among key OEMs, there are multiple electric 3W you can buy like Treo, Treo Zor, Treo Yaari and E-Alfa Mini. 

Piaggio is another top name that has now introduced the Ape range of electric auto-rickshaw that now become popular among customers including the Ape E City and Ape E Xtra in swappable and fixed battery options. 

Atul Auto is another established player eyeing a strong position in the electric auto-rickshaw segment with its Elite Cargo and Elite Paxx variants of its proven vehicles. 

New Players

What is interesting in the electric three-wheeler segment is the entry of new players trying to disrupt the market by offering top-rated products at an affordable cost to consumers. And, despite tough challenges from established players, these start-ups with deep findings and R&D backing have successfully made a mark in the market, and consumers are now shying away from trying out these new brands. 

The key brands in electric auto-rickshaws include Euler Motors, OMEGA SEIKI MOBILITY (OSM), Greaves, YC Electric, Deltic, City Life, and Altigreen, E Ashwa, and Kinetic, among others. 

An e-rickshaw consumer today has multiple choices out in the market at every price, tonnage, range and feature to choose from. Within a short period, India's e-rickshaw segment has become tremendously vibrant with high scale and options.

Multiple Variants

If you’re in the market looking for an e-rickshaw there are many new products you can choose from based on the price, tonnage, range and features. The e-rickshaw primarily caters for the passenger carrier segment with regular 3 seater options. Similarly, in the cargo carrier segment, you get a vehicle starting from a 250 kg payload that goes up to a 600 kg payload. 

The top payload cargo e-rickshaw you can buy right now is the HiLoad from Euler Motors, offering you a payload of 650 kg and 690 kg with a 150 km of certified range. On the lower end of the payload is Mitra from Geaves which has a payload of 400 kg with 70 km of range in a single charge. Then there is OHM's Rage Plus Swap with 500 kg of payload, and Rage Plus Rapid with 960 kg of payload.  

Similarly, in the high volume passenger e-rickshaw category there are top products catering for the various needs of customers. At the top-end of the market is the Mahindra Treo- packed with all the modern features, the Piaggio Ape E-City, and Atul Auto Elite Paxx. Other new brands serving this category also include YC Electric Yari, City Life Butterfly Delux XV850, Deltic Star, E-Ashwa E Auto, Thukral Electric Grand, and Saarthi DLX, among others.

Also Read

Top 10 electric three-wheeler in India- Passenger

Top 10 electric three-wheeler in India- Cargo

At TrucksDekho, we help you pick the right e-rickshaw, visit our product page to explore the top e-rickshaws in the segment, compare, check out the features and also locate the nearest showroom/dealership in your city or town. Our tools allow you to check the on-road price, EMI price and also insurance and finance options.