New Delhi, Nov. 25 -- Of the 1.1 million three-wheelers sold in India this calender year (as of 24 November), more than 687,000 or about 60% were electric vehicles (EVs), compared with a measly 4.1% for cars and 6.2% for two-wheelers, government data showed. This is especially impressive considering India's first electric three-wheeler-an e-rickshaw by Saera Electric Auto-was launched just 14 years ago, in 2011.

The wide gap is due to the fact that three-wheelers are, for a variety of reasons, far more amenable to the switch than two- and four-wheelers. Huge investments in electric three-wheelers have also led to near price parity with their fossil-fuel cousins, especially when factoring in their lower operating and maintenance costs.

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