Behind the wheel is Schumann, a 36-year-old mother of four who takes pride in her chosen profession. Shuman, who like many Indians goes by only one name, fought against the wishes of her husband and extended family to drive an e-rickshaw to care for her daughters, who range in age from 4 to 18. “I told them I don’t care what anyone says, I have to drive to give my daughters a better life,” Shuman said. “I don’t want my girls to have the same fate as me. I want them to be educated,” she added. “If I have to drive that rickshaw to make that happen, I will.” Shuman, 36, bought her e-rickshaw three years ago to earn more money to provide her daughters with a formal education – something she never had. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) Shuman is one of many drivers clogging the streets of India’s capital who see the e-rickshaw as an opportunity to earn more money and become their own boss, while environmental groups and the Indian government consider the sharp increase in of low-cost electric vehicles as a key tool in the country’s fight to reduce carbon emissions. “The best thing about an e-rickshaw is that you’re not working under someone,” Suman told CBC News. “You can make some money and then take a break when the kids have to be sent to school.” This is India’s electric vehicle revolution, a messy and sometimes chaotic push that has grown organically over the past decade in the Delhi region and several northern Indian states that have seen the rapid spread of largely unregulated e-rickshaws. , some of which are now available to buy for less than $1,500. Electric rickshaws are popular with passengers because trips cost only a few cents and you can pack more people on the back than traditional rickshaws, which run on natural gas or diesel. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) It’s a domestic, people-driven model for a green mobility shift that relies heavily on two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles — something many experts say could serve as a model for other developing countries trying, like India, to combat climate change and crippling air pollution. “If you want to start a transition to mobility, it’s probably better and wiser to look at what’s the path of least resistance,” said Gagan Sidhu, director of the Center for Energy Finance, which is housed at the Energy, Environment and Water Council. , a New Delhi-based think tank. “Which means don’t necessarily start with four-wheelers, start at the cheaper end of the spectrum.” A line of e-rickshaws charge their batteries by the side of the road. The Indian government is working to improve the country’s ad hoc charging infrastructure by offering subsidies to companies to set up better charging locations. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) There are about 1.75 million electric three-wheelers in India, according to industry figures, though the actual number is likely higher as many are unregistered or untracked. In the fiscal year ending March 2022, about 430,000 electric vehicles were sold in India, more than three times the previous year. The vast majority, 95 percent, were two-wheelers and three-wheelers, according to data compiled by the country’s Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations. Electric vehicles still make up a small percentage of total car sales, but that percentage is growing rapidly, with EVs taking up more than 5% of the market in August this year, up from 2% in 2021. An e-rickshaw driver pulls his battery out from under the seat to plug it in for a few hours at a roadside charging station. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) On the ground, Ishaq Pradhan has seen the development firsthand. He’s spent the past 10 years running an e-rickshaw charging station perched on the side of a Delhi road, with electrical cables strung across a water-filled ditch to reach precariously hanging charging ports on a nearby concrete wall. The demand for electricity has doubled and the number of new drivers continues to soar. “A person who would have earned money as a daily wage laborer before now drives an e-rickshaw,” said Pradhan, because electric tricycles are much cheaper to buy than gas or diesel-powered ones. Ishaq Pradhan runs a roadside battery charging station for electric rickshaw drivers in northwest Delhi. He has seen the number of new e-rickshaws soar in his 10 years in business. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) “The average income is higher and you can get by more easily and that’s why everybody likes it,” he added. What started as a consumer-driven push initially had the country’s auto industry playing catch-up to take advantage of the potential. At a major exhibition held on the outskirts of Delhi in September, booth after booth showcased the latest models from electric vehicle manufacturers, charging docks and batteries. “The adoption rate is so high that the future of electric in India is really good. Everyone is adopting it,” said Abhimanyu Singh, head of corporate sales in northern India for Mahindra, which makes rickshaws and other types of electric vehicles. “The cost of running the vehicle is very low and also, it emits no pollutants. So all of that combined, it makes a very good case.” Electric vehicle manufacturers showcase their models at an EV expo on the outskirts of Delhi on September 7. India’s electric vehicle push started with people buying cheaper three-wheelers and is still driven largely by sales of scooters and rickshaws. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) India’s government also sees the value of low-cost electric vehicles, which it is embracing as part of its broader strategy to reduce carbon emissions. It has prioritized incentives for those who buy green, including tax cuts and subsidies for some EV models. The ambitious goal is for electric cars to make up 30 percent of all car sales by 2030, even though current sales of more expensive four-wheelers are very low. “There are only two four-wheel models out there [that qualify for a subsidy] and charging infrastructure across India is sorely lacking,” said Sidhu, the energy finance expert. The government is seeking to fix this problem by offering business subsidies to increase the number of public charging stations, which currently stand at 934. This pales in comparison to China’s more than two million local charging locations. A dozen e-rickshaws line up on the side of the road to charge their batteries. This ramshackle charging station, which has been here for years, is located in a ditch full of water, so drivers have to pull their cables to reach the sockets. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) Indian officials have also drawn up policy aimed at pleasing e-rickshaw drivers, aiming to expand the number of battery-swapping stations, which allow drivers to swap dead batteries for newly charged ones to get on the road quickly. The government is committed to promoting the electric transition, even though transportation accounts for only about 10 percent of India’s total emissions, a far smaller share than countries like Canada, where it is 24 percent. Much depends not only on how India manages its transition to electric vehicles, but also on how the country deals with its most polluting sectors – such as agriculture and power generation – which produce much higher emissions than transport. India’s climate is not kind to the batteries that power electric rickshaws. They lose their charge faster in warmer temperatures, forcing drivers to stop more often to recharge. (Salimah Shivji/CBC) It is a project with global implications, as India is now the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, behind only China and the United States, even though its per capita emissions are much lower. With a fast-growing economy and strong energy demands, India is adamant that it will continue to produce coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, for the foreseeable future – even as the country invests heavily in renewables such as solar and the wind Nearly three-quarters of the country’s energy is generated from coal, leaving the bottom line of all the e-rickshaws and other battery-powered vehicles on the roads decidedly less green. However, rickshaw models powered by energy from coal generation release less greenhouse gas emissions than gas-powered three-wheelers. Despite its dependence on coal, experts point to India’s expansion of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers as a strong local solution, a path that developed spontaneously from the ground up, with little initial support from the government. WATCHES | The Indian government is reducing taxes on electric rickshaws and offering subsidies to buyers:
Battery-powered rickshaws are sparking the electric vehicle revolution on India’s roads
Battery-powered rickshaws are leading the electric vehicle revolution in India, attracting drivers with low prices and easy maintenance. “If you look at the data for states like Tripura and Assam, almost 100 percent of the electric vehicles sold there were actually e-rickshaws,” Sidhu said. “We’re still trying to figure out exactly why.” For Suman and her fellow e-rickshaw drivers who travel for space on the side of the road in Delhi, the environmental impact of their chosen work could not be further from their minds. Talking about the benefits of her vehicle, the young mother cited her boosted confidence from driving alone, the ability to work flexible hours, the increased earning potential and the lower cost – but not the rickshaw’s lower carbon footprint. An e-rickshaw driver sits in the back of his vehicle as he waits for passengers at a makeshift rickshaw taxi stand in Delhi. The industry is largely unregulated, even with more than 1.75 million of them…
