Government think-tank Niti Aayog has asked conventional two- and three-wheeler makers to suggest within two weeks concrete steps towards transition to electric mobility keeping in mind 2025 deadline, according to sources.

At a meeting of the manufacturers and start-up electric vehicle (EV) makers called by Niti Aayog on Friday, the industry was cautioned that if they do not take steps to address pollution issues, courts will step in.

The meeting was attended by top officials of major two-wheeler manufacturers, including Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj, TVS Motor Co Chairman Venu Srinivasan, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) President & CEO Minoru Kato along with SIAM Director-General Vishnu Mathur, and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) Director General Vinnie Mehta, among others. Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and CEO Amitabh Kant represented the think-tank.

“Without a policy and road map, transition to EVs cannot happen. Policies cannot be kept fuzzy. With 14 of 15 most-polluted cities are in India, if steps are not taken up by the government and industry, then Indian court’s would step in,” a senior Government official said.

The Niti Aayog has planned transitioning to full EVs for three-whelers by 2023 and two-wheelers with an engine capacity less than 150 cc by 2025.

The official further said India has already missed electronics revolution and semi-conductor revolution, therefore it should not miss the electric mobility revolution.

If established players do not do, the official further said start-ups will do. It has happened in China already.The official, however, said the government does not want to thrust it upon the industry.

According to sources, there was a clear divide in the industry between conventional manufacturers such as Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, HMSI and TVS on one side and start-ups like Revolt Intellicorp, Ather Energy, Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions and Tork Motors on the other, who want adoption of EVs to happen faster.