IN Brief:
- Delhivery and Bajaj Auto have agreed to deploy electric cargo three-wheelers across last-mile operations.
- The first phase covers 200 Bajaj RIKI eCarts, with around 1,500 vehicles planned by 2026–27.
- The programme combines electric vehicles, route optimisation, rider safety, and lower operating emissions.
Delhivery and Bajaj Auto will deploy around 1,500 electric cargo three-wheelers across India’s last-mile delivery network, beginning with 200 Bajaj RIKI eCarts in the first phase.
The initial vehicles were flagged off from Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi plant in Pune and will enter Delhivery’s delivery operations across metro, Tier-2, and Tier-3 cities. A second phase scheduled through 2026–27 will lift deployment toward 1,500 electric three-wheelers across L3 and L5 cargo categories.
The Bajaj RIKI C4005 eCart is designed for urban freight work, with a two-speed automatic transmission, low-maintenance electric powertrain, ergonomic seating, and a claimed range of more than 100km on a single charge. Delhivery will combine the vehicles with automated route optimisation to support delivery productivity and reduce emissions across last-mile routes.
India’s last-mile delivery market is well suited to electric three-wheelers because route lengths, vehicle size, and operating patterns align closely with battery capability. Three-wheel cargo vehicles already handle a large share of urban and semi-urban freight movement, particularly where narrow streets, frequent stops, and lower payload requirements make larger vans inefficient.
The partnership extends electrification beyond a narrow metro pilot. Smaller cities have different operating pressures, including less uniform charging access, variable road conditions, dispersed delivery density, and a more fragmented service base. Moving EV deployment into those markets tests whether the economics of electric cargo vehicles can work across a broader Indian fulfilment network.
Other Indian operators are making similar moves. Electric vehicle logistics has already moved beyond pilot geography, with Furlenco extending EV-led furniture logistics into Delhi and Hyderabad after work in Bengaluru. The pattern is now becoming clearer: electrification is being built into deliveries, returns, transfers, refurbishment flows, routing systems, and local fleet management rather than treated as a standalone sustainability exercise.
Delhivery’s technology layer will be central to the economics. Electric last-mile operations depend on matching range, delivery density, charging availability, driver time, and payload. Route optimisation can keep vehicles inside workable daily cycles, reduce unnecessary mileage, and help operators avoid the productivity losses that can undermine EV adoption when routes are poorly matched to vehicle capability.
Driver welfare also sits within the operating case. Electric cargo three-wheelers can reduce physical strain by making heavier or bulkier parcel movement less dependent on manual handling, while seating, weather protection, and lower noise levels can improve day-to-day working conditions. Vehicle adoption tends to be strongest where the equipment supports driver productivity rather than adding operational friction.
Charging remains the harder constraint. Operators need reliable access to power, charging hardware, maintenance support, battery management, route discipline, and vehicle availability. Larger logistics providers can absorb more of that complexity than small operators, but the cost and reliability of charging infrastructure will still influence how quickly electric last-mile fleets scale in smaller markets.
Scope 3 emissions pressure is another driver. Retailers, marketplaces, brands, and manufacturers increasingly need better data on transport emissions associated with customer fulfilment and outsourced delivery. Electric last-mile networks give logistics providers a stronger offer where shippers are trying to reduce emissions without accepting weaker service or higher failure rates.
The move also forms part of a broader modernisation cycle in Indian logistics. Warehousing, materials handling, robotics, cold-chain systems, RFID, and transport technology are converging as the market becomes more organised, with India’s warehousing automation push placing vehicles, facilities, and software inside the same operating upgrade.
Delhivery and Bajaj Auto’s programme will be judged by route productivity, charging reliability, vehicle uptime, driver retention, and delivery performance. Fleet size provides the headline figure, but the commercial test will be whether electric three-wheelers can reduce cost and emissions while keeping parcel networks dependable across India’s diverse urban landscape.
