India’s EV boom is growing with the TVS iQube hitting 1M units
Electric scooters still occupy a small corner of the Philippine motorcycle market. Range anxiety remains a concern, while conventional scooters are generally cheaper to buy. VinFast will attempt to address both issues through its battery subscription model, and a promise of affordable e-scooters. But, it remains too early to tell how the market will respond.
Meanwhile, developments in India suggest that electric two-wheelers are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. TVS Motor Company recently announced that it has rolled out its 1-millionth iQube e-scooter from its factory in Hosur, India. Introduced in 2020, the iQube has grown into what TVS claims is the country’s best-selling e-scooter, helping the manufacturer establish itself as one of the biggest players in India’s rapidly expanding EV market.
For Filipino riders, that number carries some weight. Over the past year, several manufacturers have shown greater interest in the local electric two-wheeler segment. VinFast has entered the market with a range of e-scooters, while Bajaj’s iconic Chetak has also joined the e-scooter bandwagon. Both brands are betting that demand for electric scooters will eventually grow beyond early adopters.
CFMOTO appears to be thinking along the same lines. Earlier, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled a series of electric scooter concepts and production-ready models, signaling that even brands known for gasoline-powered motorcycles are preparing for a more electrified future.
The contrast with India is striking. While Filipino buyers continue weighing concerns about charging infrastructure, battery replacement costs, and resale value, Indian consumers are purchasing electric scooters by the hundreds of thousands. According to TVS, iQube owners have collectively covered nearly 15 billion kilometers since the model’s launch, a sign of how mainstream electric scooters have become in the world’s largest two-wheeler market.
That doesn’t mean the iQube’s success in India will automatically be replicated in the Philippines. Price remains one of the biggest hurdles. *TVS Philippines said that the iQube is currently being sold with a starting price of PHP 99,800, down from the PHP 180,000 pricetag they introduced in 2024. That’s still roughly PHP 17,000 more than the current SRP of the Honda Click 125i.
For the average Juan dela Cruz, that’s already enough to make him think twice. Local riders also remain cautious, and the country’s charging network still has a looooong way to go. Even so, a million-unit milestone is very hard to ignore, and we’re sure the Japanese giants are now paying attention.
With TVS, Bajaj, VinFast, and CFMOTO all ramping up their EV efforts, electric two-wheelers are beginning to look less like an experiment and more like the industry’s next battleground.
*Edited text
