NEW DELHI: The government may include electric two-wheelers and electric three-wheelers in its upcoming vehicle cybersecurity rules in light of recent instances of Bluetooth-based apps being used to drain the batteries of e-rickshaws mid-journey, according to two people aware of the development.
The road transport ministry has proposed two automotive industry standards – AIS 189 for cybersecurity adequacy and approval of the manufacturer's cybersecurity management system and AIS 190 for software update management systems of connected vehicles, with phased implementation beginning in October 2026.
The two sets of standards mandate safety requirements and performance standards for traction batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), including testing procedures for battery durability, thermal propagation and protection against electrical and mechanical risks, according to draft notifications issued publicly in June.
“While these standards cover category M (passenger vehicles) and category N (commercial vehicles), category L, which includes two-wheelers and three-wheelers, is not a part of the original proposal,” said one person on condition of anonymity.
Experts said the EV policy should be inclusive of all vehicle segments.
“The safety of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers is crucial because they constitute the bulk of the vehicle stock and are largely urban vehicles, with both segments witnessing rapidly growing market. Automotive industry standards, especially on vehicle cybersecurity and safety, should cover all possible vehicle segments,” said Sharif Qamar, associate director of transport and urban governance at New Delhi-based think tank The Energy and Resources Institute.
Vulnerable vehicles
The ministry and auto industry lobby group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) have begun discussing the inclusion of these demonstrably vulnerable vehicle segments in the government’s cybersecurity standards, the person said.
The ministry of heavy industries, which administers India’s EV policies and schemes, had circulated an advisory to automakers via Siam to begin preparations for the rollout of AIS 189 and AIS 190 in the wake of the recent battery failures in e-rickshaws.
Electric two-wheelers are considered L1 or L2 category vehicles, while small electric three-wheelers (e-rickshaws) are in the L3 category and larger electric three-wheelers are in the L5 category.
The government had directed the removal of unauthorized battery management system mobile applications, including BAT-BMS, Epoch-i-ion and Lossigy, from app stores over their misuse in remotely disabling electric vehicle batteries, the electronics and IT ministry told the Lok Sabha in a written statement on 22 July.
Queries emailed to the ministries of road transport and highways, heavy industries, Siam, automakers Mahindra & Mahindra, Euler Motors, Ather Energy, Ola Electric, Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto on 29 July remained unanswered.
Some e-rickshaw makers said prospective buyers are shifting away from Bluetooth-based devices and that additional compliances in the future could increase prices.
“Many customers have stopped using Bluetooth-based battery tracking systems and are increasingly choosing to use Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which are more secure and cannot be controlled remotely. Additionally, it is important to factor in that customers who purchase e-rickshaws are not financially well-off, and any price rise due to additional compliances could make these e-rickshaws less affordable,” said Pawan Kakkar, managing director of Delhi-based e-rickshaw manufacturer YC Electric.
India had 2.56 million registered e-rickshaws as of 30 July, data on the road transport ministry’s Vahan website showed. India is the world's largest electric three-wheeler market, with more than two-thirds of all three-wheelers sold in the country in 2025 (nearly 800,000 units) being electric, according to the International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook 2026.
India is also the world's second-largest electric two-wheeler market, the IEA noted, with electric two-wheeler sales rising 5% in 2025 to nearly 1.3 million units, accounting for around 6% of total two-wheeler sales.