Frost Radar: Electric Two-wheeler Start-ups in Asia, 2023

A Benchmarking System to Spark Companies to Action-Innovation that Fuels New Deal Flow and Growth Pipelines

Climate change remains a top concern for governments and industries around the world. Increasing levels of carbon emissions have created an urgent need for control measures including vehicle electrification.

Two-wheelers are a commonly used mode of transport in Asia considering their maneuverability through traffic and cost efficiency in terms of maintenance. In fact, Asia is the largest market in the world for scooters and motorcycles with China (about 17 million sales in 2021) and India (about 14 million sales in 2021) leading the demand. China is the largest manufacturer and distributor of electric two-wheelers, and India is home to well-known producers of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles including Hero MotoCorp, TVS Motors, Bajaj Auto, and Royal Enfield.

Several developments are converging in the electric two-wheeler industry's favor. They include government incentives for the manufacture, purchase, or use of electric vehicles; growing public and corporate concerns about pollution and climate change; battery technologies that are becoming better and less expensive; and more battery charging options. Start-ups have had a strong influence on technological advancements and have gained first-mover advantages over established two-wheeler manufacturers that only recently entered or have yet to enter the electrification arena.

As the electric two-wheeler industry evolves, joint ventures and partnerships will create lucrative growth opportunities. Collaborations between leading global companies and local vehicle manufacturers and sellers, battery producers, charging operators, and mobile app aggregators (including shared mobility and battery subscription services) would introduce start-ups to the international networks, best practices, and financial backing they need for long-term success. The larger entities would benefit from access to innovative technologies and local market knowledge.

Frost & Sullivan in this Frost RadarTM has evaluated 11 electric two-wheeler start-ups that have made a mark in Asia with their products, use of technology, or collaborations. The Frost Radar™ reveals the market positioning of companies in an industry using their Growth and Innovation scores as highlighted in the Frost Radar™ methodology. The document presents competitive profiles on each of the companies in the Frost Radar™ based on their strengths, opportunities, and a small discussion on their positioning. Frost & Sullivan analyzes numerous companies in an industry and benchmarks them across 10 criteria on the Frost Radar™, where the leading companies in the industry are then positioned.