Niti Aayog Recommends Electrifying Motorbikes, Scooters in 6-8 Years

Niti Aayog has announced that it has recommended electrifying most motorbikes and scooters within the next six to eight years to curtail pollution and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, a source with direct knowledge of the matter believed.

The draft proposal from Niti Aayog, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and plays a critical role in policymaking, also recommends electrifying the country's popular three-wheeled auto-rickshaws, said the source.

India retailed more than 21 million motorbikes and scooters in the year to March 31, making it one of the world's biggest two-wheeler markets. In the equivalent period, it sold just 3.3 million cars and utility vehicles.

Electric scooters accounted for just a fraction of the total but sales more than doubled to 126,000 in the 12 months, from 54,800 a year earlier, according to the data from the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles.

"We have lagged in electrifying the car segment ... India has decided to take the lead in two-wheelers and three-wheelers," said the source.

If the proposal, which is being worked on with the Ministries of Heavy Industries, Road Transport and Power, is approved, it would open up a new market for global companies like Japan's Yamaha Motor and Suzuki Motor, which are drawing up plans to launch electric two-wheelers in India.

Modi's government set an ambitious target in 2017 to electrify all new cars and utility vehicles by 2030 but resistance from the auto industry forced it to scale back the plan. The government now expects electric vehicles to make up 15 percent of all new sales in five years from less than 1 percent currently.