Low-speed electric trikes with doorstep repair for disabled commuters
TL;DR Accesstrike makes a stable, seated electric three-wheeler for adults with a movement disability who want to get to work on their own. It's built for heavier riders and rough roads, sold on EMI with CSR co-funding and backed by a repair van. It serves the people the government scheme leaves out.
Census 2011 counted about 2.68 crore Indians with a disability, and 20% of them have a disability in movement[1]. That's roughly 54 lakh people. Among those not working, nearly half are listed as dependents[1], and simply getting to a job is a big part of why.
The government's ADIP scheme does supply motorised tricycles, but only to people with 80% or more disability and a monthly income up to ₹30,000, once in five years[2]. The approved model is basic - a 250 W motor, 25 km/h top speed and a 75 kg limit for the rider[3]. Someone with 60% disability, a salaried job or a heavier frame is on their own.
What it does, in regulatory terms: a low-speed personal electric vehicle, not a registered motor vehicle and not a medical treatment. It stays within the 250 W and 25 km/h class, which in India needs an exemption report from ARAI and not full type approval[4]. Confirm that with ARAI or ICAT, and check whether any CDSCO device notification applies, before you sell a single unit.
The trike is a three-wheeler with a wide stance, a low step-through seat, hand-only controls, reverse gear, a swappable battery and an optional rain canopy. It's rated for riders up to 110 kg and for broken roads and speed breakers. Buyers get a fitting session at home, training on a quiet street and a repair subscription that covers a van visit within 48 hours, with a loaner if the trike has to go to the workshop. Sales run through rehabilitation centres, disability groups and employers who hire people with disabilities.
The rider or their family pays, usually on EMI. The government's own price ceiling for a basic motorised tricycle is ₹45,000–63,000[3], so Accesstrike has to sit near that band or justify the gap with service. CSR programmes can fund units for people below the income line, and people who qualify under ADIP can put their ₹50,000 subsidy towards one where the scheme allows[2]. The repair plan is a monthly fee.
The ADIP scheme was revised in September 2024 and its approved list now specifies lithium batteries tested to AIS-156 and IS 17154[3], which gives you a clear safety bar to build to. Lithium packs and hub motors are now cheap enough that a ₹60,000-range trike is realistic. The scheme's approval ran to 31 March 2026[5], so check where it stands today.
No public figure exists for privately bought mobility vehicles for disabled adults in India. The bottom-up number is about 54 lakh people with a movement disability[1]. Not all of them can ride, since many have cognitive or upper-limb limits, and the scheme itself bars people with cognitive impairment from motorised tricycles[2]. If even 2–3% of them are able and willing buyers then that's 1–1.6 lakh units (our estimate). Treat that as a hypothesis to test.
NeoMotion, from the IIT Madras ecosystem, sells custom wheelchairs and the NeoBolt, an electric unit that clips onto a wheelchair, and says 18,000+ people use its products[6]. That serves wheelchair users well. ALIMCO supplies the ADIP motorised tricycle to people who qualify[3]. The gap is people who can move from a chair to a seat but don't use a wheelchair all day, who earn too much or aren't disabled enough for the scheme, and who need a service network.
| Difficulty | Moderate (49/100) |
| Starting capital | ₹1.5–3 Cr |
| Time to launch | 9–12 months |
The vehicle itself is ordinary engineering. The hard parts are keeping a stable trike under the 250 W limit on slopes with a heavy rider, getting the exemption paperwork right and running repairs across customers who are spread thin. Sales are slow and personal too, because each rider needs a fitting.
Yes, though the lighter route only holds while the trike stays in the low-speed class.
Building this outside India? The categories above usually have a local equivalent, so check with your own regulator.
Don't let AI decide whether someone is fit to ride or what their disability needs. That call belongs to the rider, their doctor and a trained fitter.
Want to work out the AI layer for Accesstrike? Talk to Yash →
Here's what can go south -
I like this one for a founder with vehicle engineering or rehabilitation experience who is willing to sell one rider at a time for the first year. If you're expecting quick volume then it's a poor fit. Before tooling, prove that 30 riders outside ADIP will put down a deposit after a test ride.
Plan for roughly ₹1.5–3 Cr, most of it on design, testing, tooling and a first batch of trikes. The repair van network adds to it as you grow into new districts.
You need an ARAI exemption report if the trike stays at 250 W and 25 km/h. Go above that and it needs full type approval, registration and a licence for the rider.
Yes, the need exists almost everywhere. Low-speed vehicle rules and medical-device rules differ a lot by country, so check both before you design the trike.
The free Accesstrike validation kit has the line-by-line capital breakdown, the effort scoring, the certification and data checklist, a 14-day validation sprint with pass/fail targets, a 90-day launch plan, 10 interview questions for riders and rehab centres, and 5 assumptions to test. Download the kit →
Thinking about building Accesstrike or something close to it? The make-or-break work is a trike that stays in the low-speed class yet climbs a ramp with a 100 kg rider, and I'm happy to help you plan the tests around that. If you need a hand, you know where to find me. Talk to Yash →
For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.