India's Clean Air Solution: Why Two-Wheelers and Public Transport Matter More Than Cars

New Delhi:

According to Ravin Mirchandani, Chairman and CEO of Ador Digatron, India should prioritize electrifying two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and public transportation systems to effectively improve its air quality.

Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2025, Mirchandani emphasized that meaningful environmental change would result from transforming the vehicles that constitute the majority of India's transportation fleet, rather than focusing on personal automobiles.

"The fundamental reasons we're pursuing electric and zero-emission mobility are threefold: to free ourselves from hydrocarbon dependence, reduce fuel imports, and ensure cleaner air for future generations in our urban centers," Mirchandani explained.

He highlighted India's substantial vehicle statistics, noting that the country has approximately 360 million vehicles. Within this total, an overwhelming 82 percent are two and three-wheelers, 12 percent are commercial vehicles including trucks and buses, while personal cars represent just 6-8 percent.

"The narrative centered on personal vehicles is misleading. To effectively address India's air pollution and reduce hydrocarbon dependence, we must focus on two and three-wheelers first, followed by commercial transportation," he stated.

Mirchandani revealed that 2025 marks a historic milestone as electric three-wheelers have surpassed traditional internal combustion engine models in sales for the first time. Similarly, electric two-wheeler adoption has seen exponential growth.

"The transition has been remarkable. In 2020, green license plates were a rarity, spotted perhaps monthly. This progressed to weekly, then daily, hourly, and now we're seeing new electric two-wheelers every minute. That's the pace of transformation we're witnessing," he observed.

The CEO praised the Indian government's initiatives to electrify public transportation, which he believes is driving substantial change.

"The scale is impressive—an upcoming tender for 15,000 electric buses in a single year. For perspective, Australia is implementing just 150 buses, which demonstrates India's ambitious commitment," he pointed out.

Mirchandani predicted that following bus electrification, trucks would be the next segment to transition to electric power, beginning with urban delivery vehicles before expanding to long-distance transportation.

He concluded that meaningful progress toward cleaner air would come from strategic targeting of high-impact segments.

"With 360 million vehicles on our roads, we need to concentrate efforts where they'll have the greatest impact: two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses, and trucks. These segments will define India's clean mobility future," Mirchandani affirmed.