The Climate Question · BBC World Service

Why are electric scooters, mopeds and rickshaws booming?

·27 min·2 clips

Akshima explains why 90% of India's new vehicles are two and three-wheelers, filling a critical mobility gap.

1. The Climate Question episode explores why electric two- and three-wheelers are booming across low- and middle-income countries, with India's capital Delhi as the central case study. 2. Host Greya Jackson anchors the episode; reporter Sushmita Pathak reports from Delhi streets; Akshima Gatte leads the RMI Foundation clean energy think tank in India; and Louise Ribé is senior manager of public transport at C40 Cities, a network of nearly 100 city mayors. 3. The episode's core question is why the EV transition has succeeded fastest in smaller, cheaper vehicles used by lower-income populations rather than in the expensive car market. 4. In India, 90% of new vehicle sales are two- and three-wheelers, according to Akshima Gatte, and in cities smaller than Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, those shares are even higher. 5. Two- and three-wheelers fill a mobility gap in countries where public transport infrastructure does not reach far enough, with Uganda at 60% of all road vehicles and Indonesia seeing tenfold growth over two decades, according to Louise Ribé. 6. Delhi's winters produce toxic smog severe enough that schools close for weeks; Sushmita Pathak notes that children are disproportionately exposed because they are shorter and thus closer to vehicle tailpipes. 7. India's government has committed $1.2 billion to reach a target of 30% electric vehicles on the road by 2030, framed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration as an energy security and manufacturing competitiveness agenda. 8. Akshima Gatte states that climate change is not a top political driver in India: energy security (reducing oil import spending), manufacturing leadership, and air pollution rank above it, with climate as a co-benefit. 9. Lifecycle analysis confirms that electric vehicles emit significantly less carbon than petrol equivalents even when charged from a coal-dominated grid, a point Akshima describes as settled by credible studies. 10. India's grid is becoming cleaner through accelerating solar and renewables deployment, making the carbon advantage of EVs larger over time. 11. E-rickshaw sales at one Delhi automobile shop run by Deepu Shukla rose from 10% of sales five to ten years ago to 30% today, with drivers citing lower running costs, no fuel queues, and charging overnight for roughly 100 kilometres of range. 12. E-rickshaw drivers interviewed by Sushmita Pathak cite specific practical advantages: no gear system, low noise, no repeated fuel expenses, and plug-in charging at home overnight. 13. Battery swapping stations — where drivers exchange depleted batteries for charged ones at locker-style kiosks — are emerging as a solution to range anxiety, though they require cross-vehicle battery compatibility. 14. Akshima identifies the current barrier to mass adoption as retail financing, arguing that government incentives cannot indefinitely cover the upfront cost differential and that financial products for lower-income buyers need to develop. 15. Louise Ribé argues that the total cost of ownership for electric two- and three-wheelers has reached parity with combustion equivalents in some markets, making the transition commercially attractive to both individuals and businesses. 16. Despite the progress, electric adoption in India remains sharply concentrated in two- and three-wheelers; cars are still bought as petrol or diesel due to lower resale values for EVs and limited charging infrastructure outside major cities. 17. The tone is field-report documentary — street sounds and vendor noise from Delhi feature prominently, and driver testimonials are recorded on location, giving the episode textural authenticity. 18. Louise Ribé notes that Africa currently imports almost all its two- and three-wheelers and that the EV transition is a chance to build local assembly manufacturing rather than deepen import dependence. 19. Listeners interested in climate solutions, emerging-market transport economics, or South Asian urban life will find the episode most relevant. 20. Listeners seeking policy deep dives on carbon accounting methodology or EV battery supply chains will find coverage surface-level.

As heard by us

India's electric rickshaw boom shows climate action arriving through energy security, health, and industry first.

India's e-rickshaws and other smaller electric vehicles make for a strong climate story because the shift is about more than emissions alone. The episode makes clear that electric mobility in India is being pulled forward by energy security, air pollution, and manufacturing…

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You want a street-level look at why Delhi's e-rickshaws are multiplying so fast.

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