In BRICS nations, focus shifts to public transport in EV push

An IISD analysis highlights the push for affordable mobility, equity, and reduced oil dependence as Brics leaders prepare for a meeting in New Delhi.

Updated on: Sep 10, 2026, 11:34:06 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

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At least seven of the 21 Brics nations, including India, China and Brazil, are pushing electric vehicles support away from private cars and towards shared transport such as buses and two-wheelers for lower income group riders, an analysis by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has found as the Brics members are set to meet in New Delhi on September 12-13.

The assessment noted that overall there is a there is a strong push towards electrification of vehicles in the Brics countries.

The assessment covered the 11 full Brics members and 10 partner countries.

The approach can advance affordable mobility, improve equity, reduce oil consumption, cut pollution, and help oil-importing economies limit exposure to volatile global oil markets, it said.

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“EVs are often portrayed as products for affluent households. Yet some Brics+ economies direct support to electric two-and-three-wheelers, buses, and shared transport, widely used by two-wheeler riders, delivery workers and bus passengers,” it said.

EV support in India has developed through successive programmes, beginning with the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-I), launched in 2015, the analysis said.

Other Brics+ economies are adopting different versions of the same approach.

Indonesia introduced a subsidy of about $460 per electric motorcycle in 2023. However, the withdrawal of the subsidy in 2025 led to e-motorcycle sales falling 29%. Indonesia has now announced a fresh subsidy of around $173 per e-motorcycle in August 2026.

Thailand’s EV 3.5 package provides subsidies of about $155-$309 for eligible electric motorcycles priced below about $4,500.

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China has used its national trade-in programme to support replacement of older e-bicycles. The programme supported the purchase of 12.5 million e-bicycles in 2025 alone.

Experts said the transition to EVs needs to cater to all segments for proper penetration. “For oil-importing economies, the EV transition is about more than emissions—it is about reducing exposure to a global oil market and protecting low-income households from price shocks. But programs focusing on private cars can end up subsidising the rich,” said Sunil Mani, policy advisor at IISD.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

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