Telangana: Autorickshaw Drivers Cheer ₹1.5-Lakh EV Aid
There are presently more than 1 lakh autorickshaws in the CURE region: Reports
HYDERABAD: Owners in the CURE region have welcomed the Telangana government's decision to provide financial assistance for converting 18,766 petrol and diesel autorickshaws into electric vehicles. The Cabinet on Friday approved a scheme, under which each eligible petrol or diesel autorickshaws will receive up to ₹1.5 lakh for conversion into an electric vehicle through retrofitting or purchase of new e-vehicles.
There are presently more than 1 lakh autorickshaws in the CURE region. Apart from the 18,766 petrol and diesel vehicles, the remaining autorickshaws run on LPG and CNG.
Telangana Auto Rickshaw JAC leader Sati Reddy said, “All drivers welcome the government’s decision. It will help reduce pollution in the city, while electric vehicles will also be more economical for drivers to operate.”
He added that in in June 2025, the state government had issued GO 263, lifting a decades-old cap on new autorickshaw permits within the GHMC and Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits. The order permitted 65,000 new eco-friendly autorickshaws and allowed retrofitting of existing vehicles to reduce pollution.
Mohammed Pasha, driving three-wheelers for 20 years, said the “The government’s decision will bring great relief to drivers like us. The financial assistance for converting our vehicles to EVs will reduce running costs compared with petrol and help us earn more.”
Under the retrofitting process, the internal combustion engine, fuel tank and exhaust are replaced with an electric motor, battery pack, controller and new wiring, while the original chassis, wheels and body structure are retained. In June 2025, the state government allowed 20,000 electric, 10,000 LPG and 10,000 CNG autorickshaws, besides permitting 25,000 existing petrol and diesel auto-rickshaws to be converted into electric vehicles.