Electric rickshaws conquer Indian cities

DW (English)

Deliveries or 3-wheeled cabs - India relies on electromobility. Rickshaws with batteries are now standard. More than half of all newly registered three-wheelers in 2022 were electric. India is beating the competition.

Transcript

00:00 It's hard to tell at first glance, but batteries are located beneath Vinod's signed seat.

00:06 His electric rickshaw is a real treasure for him.

00:11 I'm cleaning my electric rickshaw.

00:13 This is like Goddess Lakshmi for me, as it helps me earn a living.

00:17 It's my duty to take care of it daily.

00:21 More and more rickshaw drivers are choosing to do without dirty diesel, as India's population

00:27 is growing rapidly, especially in the cities.

00:30 Experts estimate that traffic alone could double by 2050, and with it, exhaust fumes.

00:35 There are still millions of diesel-powered two-wheelers on India's roads.

00:39 Still, the market for electric vehicles in India is booming.

00:43 While almost 730,000 electric two-wheelers were sold in the last fiscal year, the figure

00:48 was little more than 250,000 a year earlier.

00:53 Experts say there are several reasons for this.

00:55 I would attribute to three major reasons for this growth in India.

01:00 To begin with, it's India's climate pledges and the government policies that have sort

01:04 of led to this transition from ice to electric vehicles, broadly.

01:10 The second reason, if I were to attribute, is sort of economics.

01:13 And the third is the startups in India, which really started making these electric vehicles

01:18 interested in getting into manufacturing electric vehicles.

01:23 That really led to the start, I would say, in a certain sense.

01:26 And in many cases, the model is simple.

01:29 Instead of large battery blocks, it's usually these small ones that have a shorter lifespan,

01:34 but are affordable to drivers like Ashok Chauhan.

01:41 It costs less and has so many advantages compared to a normal rickshaw.

01:47 I can save up to a thousand rupees a day.

01:52 He's visiting a business where he hopes to buy a new electric rickshaw.

01:56 But he's still undecided.

01:58 The Indian government has invested heavily in electromobility and supports both customers

02:03 and dealers.

02:04 A vehicle like this used to cost almost 3,000 US dollars.

02:09 But thanks to the government subsidy, it now only costs the customer half as much, and

02:14 therefore far less than a gasoline-powered car.

02:19 It's a whole new driving experience for customers.

02:32 These electric rickshaws are really useful and available everywhere.

02:35 They don't use gasoline, so we don't have any exhaust fumes.

02:39 I often use them to take my children to school or to go to the vegetable market and visit

02:45 my brother.

02:47 What's more, the service is cheap.

02:51 It's also easier to get in and out of the electric rickshaw.

02:54 Getting in is very comfortable.

02:57 Ashok Chauhan gets to take a test drive today.

03:01 I've been driving an electric vehicle for three years.

03:04 I only commute with my electric rickshaw.

03:07 It doesn't pollute the environment.

03:08 It doesn't emit as much exhaust fumes as gasoline and diesel vehicles.

03:15 He now wants to buy a new electric rickshaw.

03:18 This business now sells 200 vehicles a month, and the boss wants to hire new workers.

03:23 We've been in business for 10 years and have good annual growth.

03:27 But in the last two years post-COVID, this industry has seen phenomenal growth.

03:32 People's mindset is changing in favor of electric mobility, and I see huge success in the future

03:37 as well.

03:41 Hundreds of companies in India are doing the same.

03:44 As a result, more and more people are becoming self-employed, like Vinod Sain, as an electric

03:49 rickshaw cab driver.

03:51 And the environment becomes less polluted.

Category

Transcript

Recommended