Next chapter of India's EV revolution: Why software and emerging tech will matter more than speed
India's EV fleet operators are shifting focus from vehicle speed to software, data platforms, and battery analytics as the sector scales past 2.5 million annual sales.
India recorded 25,50,865 EV sales in FY2025–26, a 25.02% annual increase, according to EVreporter Intelligence using Vahan Dashboard and Telangana Regional Transport data. Electric two-wheelers led the count at 14,72,029 units — 57.9% of total EV purchases — with 22% volume growth year-over-year. As the fleet scales, the argument made in a YourStory op-ed by Samarth Mengji, Director and Co-Founder of Futuristic Mobility, is that operational software, not hardware speed, will determine who wins the commercial fleet market.
The piece, published August 19, 2026, describes the daily operational burden facing EV fleet operators: vehicle deployment, unreceived rider reports, idle bikes, battery-swap irregularities, and unpaid dues — all currently managed through phone calls, spreadsheets, and physical hub checks. Mengji argues that purpose-built fleet management software — covering GPS tracking, geofencing, battery diagnostics, and predictive maintenance — is the necessary next layer. Markets and Markets estimates the global EV fleet management market will rise from $9.10 billion in 2025 to $32.25 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 22.7%.
On the battery side, the International Energy Agency reported India sold 1.3 million electric two-wheelers in 2024, and its Global EV Outlook 2025 notes that removable batteries have spurred the growth of swapping stations, particularly for taxis and delivery vehicles. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis adds that India's advanced chemistry cell demand stood at 28 GWh in 2025, with EVs accounting for roughly 60% of that figure, and projects demand reaching approximately 272 GWh by FY2030. Mengji contends that battery-swap frequency data is a leading indicator of both vehicle health and rider behavior — a sudden drop can signal a technical fault, rider absence, or zone-level demand weakness.
The op-ed also makes a case for unit-level financial accounting within fleets. Fleet-wide revenue figures, Mengji writes, can mask consistently underperforming individual vehicles. Linking rental income, rider payouts, repairs, fines, battery costs, recovery charges, and outstanding payments to individual bikes and users allows operators to identify misuse patterns, recurring defects, and accumulating dues before they compound.
A final section addresses rider retention through a software lens. Mengji argues that signals like missed workdays, fewer swaps, reduced kilometers, and irregular app activity can flag riders likely to quit. The recommended response is not automated penalties but early human intervention — a conversation that might surface a damaged bike, an earnings dispute, or a personal emergency. The broader point is that fleet management technology is most effective when it supports context-aware decisions rather than replacing them with rigid automation.
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